Neurological Adverse Events from COVID-19 Vaccination and It's Associated Factors in Burkina Faso: Analysis of Spontaneous Reports from the National Database of Pharmacovigilance from 2021 to 2023.

Abstract

Introduction: Neurological adverse effects are frequent, primarily non-serious, due to the tropism of COVID 19 adverse effects for neuronal structures and tissues. To our knowledge, there are no studies on neurological adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines in Burkina Faso. The purpose of this study was to determine the prevalence of neurological side effects of COVID-19 vaccines, to catalogue neurological adverse effects, to describe these manifestations, and to identify factors associated.

Materials and methods: This was a cross-sectional study of people who had experienced adverse events of COVID-19 vaccines during the period from 1 December 2021 to 31 December 2023. Individuals who had experienced at least one adverse event after immunisation (AEFI) of the COVID-19 vaccine registered in the Vigibase Burkina database were included. The data was gathered through a questionnaire.

Results: The study included 1,060 people who experienced adverse events. Of them, 614 (57.9%) had neurological adverse effects. Their mean age was 44.08 ± 18 years. Most of the participants were men (56.8%) and healthcare workers (61.2%). Most of the participants (65.8%) had their side effects occur within 24 h. The AstraZeneca vaccine was reported in 51.8% of participants. The prevalence of side effects after the first dose was 83%.The most common symptoms were headaches (49.7%), myalgia (21.7%) and radiculopathies (9%). There was a significant association between the AstraZeneca vaccine and adverse neurological events (p = 0.000000). Factors associated with the appearance of serious neurological symptoms were age ≥ 60 years (p = 0.02744) and comorbidities (p = 0.000002).

Conclusion: Neurological adverse events after COVID-19 immunisation were frequent and benign among spontaneous notifications. Headache was the most common neurological adverse effect of COVID-19 vaccines. Serious side effects were more frequent in the elderly and people with comorbidities.