More than 13 million Dutch people have now had their first injection. To date, 238 reports of an allergic reaction have been received at the Lareb side effects center. At the GGD there were a lot more: 11,000 people reported there. In many cases, the second shot was therefore not given.
Physically or psychologically?
But that now turns out to be wrong. In most cases, stress appears to be the cause of the allergic reaction. And that’s not surprising, because tension in your body does a lot to you, says psychologist Bjarne Timonen. “Very often people think that tension is very psychological, but it is certainly a physical process. The body produces stress hormone. That can lead to a physical reaction,” he tells EditieNL.
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How the tension manifests itself differs per person. “For example, you can suffer from stress spots in the neck, but also an increased heart rate or a rash. People also blush and you can feel tension in your muscles. People who are traumatized always feel that. If you are chronically tense you also become faster sick.”
Distinguish
Whether a physical reaction after vaccination is due to allergies or tension is sometimes difficult to distinguish in practice, allergology doctor Laura Sonneveld tells EditieNL. “There are a number of things to watch out for, which are more suited to tension than to an allergic reaction, and vice versa. Signs of an acute allergic reaction are, for example, acute skin reaction and tightness of the chest.”
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Sonneveld has also seen many patients who suffered from a lump in the throat after the first injection. “These people have actually all received the second vaccine without any problems. So that is a complaint that fits with tension.”
It is also good to keep an eye on when the reaction starts. “Complaints that appear soon after the vaccination, within one or two hours, are more likely to be allergies.”
Consult an expert
However, it remains difficult to estimate whether or not you are dealing with an allergic reaction. That is why it is good to consult an expert. You can choose to inject a small amount of the vaccine to test whether there is an allergy. “If we estimate the chance as high, we can also do additional skin tests in the hospital. But we really only do that with a selective group.”
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