Up to and including the summer of 2022, the Lareb side effects center has received about 200 reports of people with multiple sclerosis (MS) after corona vaccination. Most reports concerned the known side effects that are also included in the package leaflet.
Half of the reports Lareb received from people with MS concerned the first corona vaccination. A quarter was about the second vaccination and another quarter about the third or fourth vaccination. There were about the same number of reports on the corona vaccines from Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca. Most reports concerned known side effects such as fatigue, headache, injection site reactions or muscle pain.
Temporary worsening of existing MS complaints
Lareb also received reports of a temporary worsening of existing MS symptoms. This aggravation may be triggered by underlying side effects after vaccination, such as fever or flu-like symptoms. Most reporters indicated that the complaints arose within one or two days after vaccination and were short-lived. Read more about this in the article for the MS Society’s MenSen magazine.
Exacerbation or flare-up of existing MS symptoms are also described in international studies, including after other vaccinations or after a COVID-19 infection. There is no evidence that vaccination can lead to the development of MS.