Medical Case Reports

A 55-year-old woman with a long history of chronic migraines saw her symptoms worsen after getting a COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. Normally, her migraines were manageable with topiramate and sertraline. Despite medication adjustments, her pain escalated, scoring a 9 on the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS). The underlying mechanisms of how SARS-CoV-2 impacts the nervous system remain unclear. Research suggests that the virus can invade the nervous system and trigger headaches by causing inflammation and vascular changes. Headache and loss of smell (anosmia) are thought to be linked to this direct neural invasion. Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is key in migraine pathophysiology, involved in pain transmission and inflammation. Elevated levels of interleukin (IL)-6 and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-a), common in COVID-19, also increase CGRP, influencing symptoms like cough, fever, and pain. Studies have found structural similarities between CGRP receptors and SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins, sug...

Measuring antibodies which bind viruses to tag them for destruction and antibodies which stop viruses from infecting cells by neutralizing them are associated with vaccine effectiveness. A new study indicates that c ellular response (T-cell proliferation and whole blood Interferon-Gamma Release assays)  might provide a better measure. The study tested  7 vaccinated and 7 non-vaccinated ICU patients during original Omicron wave and compared them to  8 healthy vaccinated volunteers.   Upon ICU admission, vaccinated patients presented high anti-Spike IgG titers that were significantly higher than non-vaccinated patients (Figure A ). In contrast, T-cell proliferation in response to spike antigen was absent (Figure  B). In accordance, in response to SARS-CoV-2 antigens whole blood Interferon-Gamma Release Assay (IGRA) was found to be very low in vaccinated patients whereas they presented with strong response to mitogen (PHA) which illustrated appropriate functi...