Two large studies have focused on potential health risks for people. covid vaccine — But some experts urge caution when interpreting the findings.
Recent studies have linked vaccines to an increased risk of kidney damage. respiratory infections.
A South Korean study published in the International Journal of Infectious Diseases looked at how infectious diseases have changed during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the impact of vaccines.
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“meanwhile influenza-like illness “Infectious diseases declined sharply at the beginning of the pandemic, but upper respiratory tract infections and common colds surged in 2023 and 2024, far above expected levels,” study lead author Dr. Jihoon Song, of the Department of Biomedical Informatics, Korea University School of Medicine, told FOX News Digital.
“Most alarmingly, whooping cough has increased more than 40 times compared to historical trends.”
“The key message is that respiratory infections in South Korea have changed dramatically after the COVID-19 pandemic, and the patterns vary depending on the disease.”
When researchers investigated the effects, they found that covid vaccinefound that people who received four or more doses of the vaccine were less likely to get flu-like illnesses and whooping cough, but more likely to get colds and other mild respiratory infections.
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“We did not expect to see such diverse associations. Type of infection“While some infections (like influenza) decreased among vaccinated people, other infections (the common cold) increased,” Song said. “These combined associations likely reflect complex changes in immunity, behavior, and health care utilization.” Post-pandemic era. ”
Dr. Jacob Granville, CEO of San Francisco biotech company Centivax, said the groups that received more vaccines was olderthe mean age was 67 years, whereas the mean age in the less vaccinated group was 37 to 47 years.
“They have to do age matching (called controlling for confounding variables) and then run the analysis again,” Granville, who was not involved in the study, told FOX News Digital. “Obviously, older people go to the hospital more often with colds and upper respiratory infections.”
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The researchers noted that because the study was observational, it did not prove that the vaccine caused the increase in infections, only that there was an association.
Also, older adults and people with chronic illnesses are more likely to receive this treatment. booster dosageSong pointed out, which could affect the results.
Changes in “”care-seeking behavior“And patterns of health care utilization pose another limitation. Because health care utilization has been reduced for years, people may be visiting different clinics than they used to, which could impact diagnosis rates.”
The researchers also did not collect immunological data such as antibody levels or immune cell activity. In other words, it was not possible to determine whether the effects were due to a biological immune response or external factors.
“This result may be influenced by differences in age, underlying health conditions, and healthcare utilization between vaccinated and unvaccinated groups,” Professor Song said.
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He stressed that this study does not mean people should avoid getting the coronavirus vaccine.
“Rather, it emphasizes the need for upward awareness. respiratory infections To encourage timely diagnosis and appropriate preventive measures, [as well as] “The post-COVID-19 situation is fundamentally different from before, so we need to strengthen surveillance of respiratory pathogens,” Song said.
“Our findings should not be interpreted as evidence that vaccines increase or decrease specific infections, but as an indicator of population-level trends that require further investigation.”
Another recent study published in the International Medical Journal found that COVID-19 vaccination was associated with an increased risk of infection. Acute kidney injury and dialysis People who received the vaccine died within a year, even though death rates from all causes were lower.
Within 12 months, 15,809 vaccinated people developed acute kidney injury compared with 11,081 unvaccinated people.
A total of 1,513 people underwent dialysis during the year. year of vaccinationcompared to 697 people who were not vaccinated.
“While both risks were low in absolute terms, this study was statistically well controlled and there may be a real sign here,” Glanville told FOX News Digital.
“Other studies have shown that the risk of kidney disease from infections is much higher than from vaccination, which is counterintuitive,” he continued. “This is worth further consideration.”
The researchers acknowledged that the study also had limitations.
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These included missing electronic health record data, which lacked information on vaccine doses and antibody levels, kidney problems, other health conditions, and details of over-the-counter medications that can affect the kidneys.
Because it was retrospective study Because it was not a controlled trial, differences between groups may have influenced the results.
Hua Wang, associate professor of materials science and engineering at the University of Illinois Granger Institute of Technology, recommends caution when interpreting data in this type of study.
“Both studies reported both benefits and risks, so we should not simply emphasize the potential negative effects of COVID-19 vaccination, as some news articles have said,” said Wang, who was not involved in the study.
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“One potential limitation of these two studies is the lack of information about some of the participants. SARS-COVID-2 virus He added: “The impact of the virus itself could be significant in vaccinated and unvaccinated groups.”
Dr. Mark Siegel, FOX News Senior Medical Analyst Author of the new book “Miracles Among Us” (Fox News Books) also commented on the study.
“These are large studies and in no way prove that the COVID-19 vaccine causes kidney problems or increases susceptibility to other respiratory infections, including influenza,” he told Fox News Digital.
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“However, the association found is certainly worth further investigation and highlights the fact that immune pump priming must be carefully followed to account for potential effects.”
Siegel added: “It’s also quite possible that the study could have been biased if vaccinated people were already more susceptible to infection.” Other infectious diseases Or kidney problems. ”
