Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2021 Oct;9(10):3546-3567.
doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.06.006. Epub 2021 Jun 18.

The Risk of Allergic Reaction to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and Recommended Evaluation and Management: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, GRADE Assessment, and International Consensus Approach

Affiliations
Review

The Risk of Allergic Reaction to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines and Recommended Evaluation and Management: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis, GRADE Assessment, and International Consensus Approach

Matthew Greenhawt et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021 Oct.

Abstract

Concerns for anaphylaxis may hamper severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) immunization efforts. We convened a multidisciplinary group of international experts in anaphylaxis composed of allergy, infectious disease, emergency medicine, and front-line clinicians to systematically develop recommendations regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccine immediate allergic reactions. Medline, EMBASE, Web of Science, the World Health Organizstion (WHO) global coronavirus database, and the gray literature (inception, March 19, 2021) were systematically searched. Paired reviewers independently selected studies addressing anaphylaxis after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, polyethylene glycol (PEG) and polysorbate allergy, and accuracy of allergy testing for SARS-CoV-2 vaccine allergy. Random effects models synthesized the data to inform recommendations based on the Grading of Recommendation, Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) approach, agreed upon using a modified Delphi panel. The incidence of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine anaphylaxis is 7.91 cases per million (n = 41,000,000 vaccinations; 95% confidence interval [95% CI] 4.02-15.59; 26 studies, moderate certainty), the incidence of 0.15 cases per million patient-years (95% CI 0.11-0.2), and the sensitivity for PEG skin testing is poor, although specificity is high (15 studies, very low certainty). We recommend vaccination over either no vaccination or performing SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/excipient screening allergy testing for individuals without history of a severe allergic reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/excipient, and a shared decision-making paradigm in consultation with an allergy specialist for individuals with a history of a severe allergic reaction to the SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/excipient. We recommend further research to clarify SARS-CoV-2 vaccine/vaccine excipient testing utility in individuals potentially allergic to SARS-CoV2 vaccines or their excipients.

Keywords: Adenovirus-vector vaccine; Allergic reactions; Allergy; Allergy specialist; Anaphylaxis; COVID-19; GRADE; Polyethylene glycol; Polysorbate 80; SARS-CoV-2; Shared decision making; Skin testing; Vaccination; mRNA vaccine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Recommendations regarding precautions and contraindications regarding SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. AAAAI, American Academy of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; ACAAI, American College of Allergy, Asthma, and Immunology; ALLSA, Allergy Society of South Africa; ASCIA, Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy; CDC, U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; CSACI, Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; EAACI, European Academy of Allergy and Clinical Immunology; EMA, European Medicines Agency; NACI, National Advisory Committee on Immunizations; PHE/BSACI, Public Health England/British Society for Allergy and Clinical Immunology; WAO, World Allergy Organization.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Adjudicated and nonadjudicated internationally reported rates of anaphylaxis to SARS-CoV-2 vaccines. EOC, Ente Ospedaliero Cantonale; MGB, Mass General Brigham; PHAC, Public Health Agency of Canada; U.K. MHRA, U.K. Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Pooled incidence of reported PEG allergy, in cases per million person-years.
Figure 4
Figure 4
Considerations for options in the approach to SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in patients with known or suspected reaction to a SARS-CoV-2 vaccine or vaccine excipient.

Comment in

Similar articles

  • Updated guidance regarding the risk of allergic reactions to COVID-19 vaccines and recommended evaluation and management: A GRADE assessment and international consensus approach.
    Greenhawt M, Dribin TE, Abrams EM, Shaker M, Chu DK, Golden DBK, Akin C, Anagnostou A, ALMuhizi F, Alqurashi W, Arkwright P, Baldwin JL, Banerji A, Bégin P, Ben-Shoshan M, Bernstein J, Bingemann TA, Bindslev-Jensen C, Blumenthal K, Byrne A, Cahill J, Cameron S, Campbell D, Campbell R, Cavender M, Chan ES, Chinthrajah S, Comberiati P, Eastman JJ, Ellis AK, Fleischer DM, Fox A, Frischmeyer-Guerrerio PA, Gagnon R, Garvey LH, Grayson MH, Isabwe GAC, Hartog N, Hendron D, Horner CC, Hourihane JO, Iglesia E, Kan M, Kaplan B, Katelaris CH, Kim H, Kelso JM, Khan DA, Lang D, Ledford D, Levin M, Lieberman JA, Loh R, Mack DP, Mazer B, Mody K, Mosnaim G, Munblit D, Mustafa SS, Nanda A, Nathan R, Oppenheimer J, Otani IM, Park M, Pawankar R, Perrett KP, Peter J, Phillips EJ, Picard M, Pitlick M, Ramsey A, Rasmussen TH, Rathkopf MM, Reddy H, Robertson K, Rodriguez Del Rio P, Sample S, Sheshadri A, Sheik J, Sindher SB, Spergel JM, Stone CA, Stukus D, Tang MLK, Tracy JM, Turner PJ, Vander Leek TK, Wallace DV, Wang J, Wasserman S, Weldon D, Wolfson AR, Worm M, Yacoub MR. Greenhawt M, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2023 Aug;152(2):309-325. doi: 10.1016/j.jaci.2023.05.019. Epub 2023 Jun 7. J Allergy Clin Immunol. 2023. PMID: 37295474 Free PMC article. Review.
  • Risk of Second Allergic Reaction to SARS-CoV-2 Vaccines: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.
    Chu DK, Abrams EM, Golden DBK, Blumenthal KG, Wolfson AR, Stone CA Jr, Krantz MS, Shaker M, Greenhawt M. Chu DK, et al. JAMA Intern Med. 2022 Apr 1;182(4):376-385. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2021.8515. JAMA Intern Med. 2022. PMID: 35188528 Free PMC article.
  • First-Dose mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine Allergic Reactions: Limited Role for Excipient Skin Testing.
    Wolfson AR, Robinson LB, Li L, McMahon AE, Cogan AS, Fu X, Wickner P, Samarakoon U, Saff RR, Blumenthal KG, Banerji A. Wolfson AR, et al. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021 Sep;9(9):3308-3320.e3. doi: 10.1016/j.jaip.2021.06.010. Epub 2021 Jun 22. J Allergy Clin Immunol Pract. 2021. PMID: 34166844 Free PMC article.
  • Evaluation of pediatric patients with suspected polyethylene glycol and polysorbate allergy before mRNA SARS-CoV2 vaccination.
    Karaaslan BG, Burtecene N, Mustu U, Ocak S, Kasapcopur O, Kıykım A, Cokugras H. Karaaslan BG, et al. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2023 May 1;51(3):174-180. doi: 10.15586/aei.v51i3.800. eCollection 2023. Allergol Immunopathol (Madr). 2023. PMID: 37169575
  • COVID-19 mRNA vaccine allergy.
    Risma KA. Risma KA. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2021 Dec 1;33(6):610-617. doi: 10.1097/MOP.0000000000001077. Curr Opin Pediatr. 2021. PMID: 34670264 Free PMC article. Review.

Cited by

References

    1. Del Rio C., Malani P.N. COVID-19—new insights on a rapidly changing epidemic. JAMA. 2020;323:1339–1340. - PubMed
    1. Johns Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center. https://coronavirusjhuedu/maphtml Available from:
    1. Global Preparedness Monitoring Board . World Health Organization; Geneva: 2020. A World in Disorder. Global Preparedness Monitoring Board Annual Report 2020.https://apps.who.int/gpmb/assets/annual_report/GPMB_AR_2020_EN.pdf Licence: CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO. Available from:
    1. Turner P.J., Ansotegui I.J., Campbell D.E., Cardona V., Ebisawa M., El-Gamal Y., et al. COVID-19 vaccine-associated anaphylaxis: a statement of the World Allergy Organization Anaphylaxis Committee. World Allergy Organ J. 2021;14:100517. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Vaccines for COVID-19. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/index.html Available from: