Evidence map›Paper›PMID 37897023›Full record

ArticleVaccines2023

NEURO-COVAX: An Italian Population-Based Study of Neurological Complications after COVID-19 Vaccinations.

Maria Salsone, Carlo Signorelli, Alessandro Oldani, Valerio Fabio Alberti, Vincenza Castronovo, Salvatore Mazzitelli, Massimo Minerva, Luigi Ferini-Strambi

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Vaccines, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 5 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
5citing papers in PubMed
1.9field-weighted citation impact, top 14% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

5 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Review
  4. Impact of COVID-19 disease and COVID-19 vaccinations on hospital admissions for neurological diseases in the Lombardia over-12 population. Data from a self-controlled case series analysis.Neurological sciences : official journal of the Italian Neurological Society and of the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology · 2025
    Article
  5. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Maria SalsoneInstitute of Molecular Bioimaging and Physiology, National Research Council, 20125 Milan, Italy.
Carlo SignorelliSchool of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy.
Alessandro OldaniSleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20127 Milan, Italy.
Valerio Fabio AlbertiSovrintendenza Sanitaria del Gruppo San Donato, 20122 Milan, Italy.
Vincenza CastronovoSleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20127 Milan, Italy.
Salvatore MazzitelliDirezione Sanitaria, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20127 Milan, Italy.
Massimo MinervaSchool of Medicine, Vita-Salute San Raffaele University, 20132 Milan, Italy.
Luigi Ferini-StrambiSleep Disorders Center, Division of Neuroscience, San Raffaele Scientific Institute, 20127 Milan, Italy.
Vita-Salute San Raffaele University · ITIRCCS Policlinico San Donato · ITNational Research Council · IT

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectiveIn this Italian population-based study, we aimed to evaluate the neurological complications after the first and/or second dose of COVID-19 vaccines and factors potentially associated with these adverse effects.

methodsOur study included adults aged 18 years and older who received two vaccine doses in the vaccination hub of Novegro (Milan, Lombardy) between 7 and 16 July 2021. The NEURO-COVAX questionnaire was able to capture the neurological events, onset and duration. That data that were digitized centrally by the Lombardy region were used to match the demographic/clinical characteristics and identify a vulnerability profile. Associations between vaccine lines and the development of complications were assessed. Digital healthcare system matching was also performed to evaluate severe neurological complications (Guillain-Barrè syndrome, Bell's palsy, transverse myelitis, encephalitis) and the incidence of hospital admissions and/or the mortality rate after two doses of the vaccines.

resultsThe NEURO-COVAX-cohort included 19.108 vaccinated people: 15.368 with BNT162b2, 2077 with mRNA-1273, 1651 with ChAdOx1nCov-19, and 12 with Ad26.COV2.S who were subsequently excluded. Approximately 31.2% of our sample developed post-vaccination neurological complications, particularly with ChAdOx1nCov-19. A vulnerable clinical profile emerged, where over 40% of the symptomatic people showed comorbidities in their clinical histories. Defining the neurological risk profile, we found an increased risk for ChAdOx1nCov-19 of tremors (vs. BNT162b2, OR: 5.12, 95% CI: 3.51-7.48); insomnia (vs. mRNA-1273, OR: 1.87, 95% CI: 1.02-3.39); muscle spasms (vs. BNT162b2, OR: 1.62, 95% CI: 1.08-2.46); and headaches (vs. BNT162b2, OR: 1.49, 95% CI: 0.96-1.57). For mRNA-1273, there were increased risks of parethesia (vs. ChAdOx1nCov-19, OR: 2.37, 95% CI: 1.48-3.79); vertigo (vs. ChAdOx1nCov-19, OR: 1.68, 95% CI: 1.20-2.35); diplopia (vs. ChAdOx1nCov-19, OR: 1.55, 95% CI: 0.67-3.57); and sleepiness (vs. ChAdOx1nCov-19, OR: 1.28, 95% CI: 0.98-1.67). In the period that ranged from March to August 2021, no one was hospitalized and/or died of severe complications related to COVID-19 vaccinations. DISCUSSION: This study estimates the prevalence and risk for neurological complications potentially associated with COVID-19 vaccines, thus improving the vaccination guidelines and loading in future personalized preventive medicine.

Indexed as

Ad26.COV2.S vaccineBNT162b2 vaccineChAdOx1nCoV-19 vaccineCOVID-19 infectionmRNA-1273 vaccineneurological adverse events

Identifiers

PMID37897023
PMCPMC10610846
OpenAlexW4387843517

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.