The incidence of COVID-19 infection in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension (CTEPH) is similar to that in the general population, but the mortality rate is much higher. COVID-19 vaccination is strongly recommended for PAH/CTEPH patients. The aim of our cross-sectional study was to identify reasons why PAH/CTEPH patients refused vaccination against COVID-19. Moreover, we assessed the safety profile of approved COVID-19 vaccines in PAH/CTEPH patients. We examined 261 patients (164 PAH patients and 97CTEPH patients) with a median age of 60 (18–92) years, 62% of which were female. Sixty-one patients (23%) refused to be vaccinated. The main reason for unwillingness to be vaccinated was anxiety about adverse events (AEs, 61%). Age and fear of COVID-19 in the univariate analysis and age ≥60 years in the multivariate regression analysis were factors that impacted willingness to be vaccinated (OR = 2.5; p = 0.005). AEs were reported in 61% of vaccinated patients after the first dose and in 40.5% after the second dose ( p = 0.01). The most common reported AEs were pain at the injection site (54.5%), fever (22%), fatigue (21%), myalgia (10.5%), and headache (10%). A lower percentage of AEs was reported in older patients (OR = 0.3; p = 0.001). The COVID-19 vaccines are safe for PAH/CTEPH patients. The results obtained in this study may encourage patients of these rare but severe cardio-pulmonary diseases to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
【저자키워드】 COVID-19 vaccine, vaccination, Safety, pulmonary arterial hypertension, chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension, post-vaccination symptoms, 【초록키워드】 COVID-19, Anxiety, fatigue, cross-sectional, Infection, headache, older patient, COVID-19 vaccination, Fever, adverse event, female, Patient, Pain, age, General population, mortality rate, disease, patients, safety profile, pulmonary hypertension, myalgia, Safe, regression analysis, thromboembolic, Factor, second dose, first dose, median age, injection, Univariate analysis, PAH, vaccination against COVID-19, identify, examined, reported, approved, much higher, impacted, AEs, incidence of COVID-19, vaccinated against COVID-19, 【제목키워드】 COVID-19, pulmonary, chronic, profile, reason, arterial,