Comparison of COVID-19 Vaccination with Influenza Vaccination in Korean Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus: Perception, Adverse Events, and Flares from the CIVIL Study
July 2023
TLDR The COVID-19 vaccine is viewed more negatively and causes more side effects than the flu vaccine in Korean patients with lupus.
The CIVIL study compared the perception and safety of COVID-19 and influenza vaccines in 207 Korean patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The study found that 77.7% of SLE patients completed the COVID-19 vaccine, while 87.6% completed the influenza vaccine. Fear of lupus flare and side effects were significant reasons for vaccine hesitancy, especially for the COVID-19 vaccine. Adverse events were more common with the COVID-19 vaccine (65.8%) compared to the influenza vaccine (12.4%), with 10.3% of COVID-19 vaccinated patients experiencing lupus flares. The study concluded that the COVID-19 vaccine has a worse perception and higher adverse events compared to the influenza vaccine in this patient group.