Abstract
The purpose of our study was to determine the willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and factors associated with vaccine hesitancy among people with epilepsy (PWE). In December 2020, we performed an online cross-sectional survey of PWE and their caregivers in Lithuania before the rollout of COVID-19 vaccines to the public. The study sample consisted of 111 respondents (44 (39.6%) male, median age 25 years (range 1 to 70)). From 58 PWE who personally responded to the survey, 27 (46.6%) would be willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Among the 53 caregivers, 18 (34.0%) would accept the person they care for to be vaccinated. Willingness to be vaccinated was associated with receiving an influenza shot in 2020 (odds ratio (OR) = 9.17, 95% confidence interval (CI = 1.15–73.47), the beliefs that vaccines are generally safe (OR = 7.90, 95% CI = 2.43–25.74) and that they are the only convenient way to gain immunity (OR = 3.91, 95% CI = 1.02–15.05). Respondents were hesitant to accept the COVID-19 vaccine if they thought it could cause the infection (OR = 0.14, 95% CI = 0.04–0.49). COVID-19 vaccine hesitancy is frequent among PWE and their caregivers. It is probably related to erroneous beliefs about their safety and mechanism of action.
Highlights
The global threat of COVID-19 has greatly influenced the daily lives and health status of people with epilepsy (PWE)
From 58 PWE who personally responded to the survey, 27 (46.6%) would be willing to be vaccinated against COVID-19
We report a survey of PWE and their caregivers in which we aimed to determine their willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and define variables that are associated with vaccine hesitancy
Summary
The global threat of COVID-19 has greatly influenced the daily lives and health status of people with epilepsy (PWE). A deterioration of their physical and psychological condition was mostly associated with a lack of timely medical services, disrupted use or supply of antiseizure drugs (ASDs) and the consequences of strict lockdown measures, which induced mental health problems and were associated with seizure exacerbation [1,2,3,4,5]. While there is currently only limited evidence that COVID-19 is more severe or lethal in those with comorbid epilepsy, the spread of COVID-19 still exposes patients to a substantial risk of severe respiratory complications and often results in lockdowns, which disturb access to healthcare [6,7,8]. We report a survey of PWE and their caregivers in which we aimed to determine their willingness to be vaccinated against COVID-19 and define variables (e.g., vaccination history or reported beliefs) that are associated with vaccine hesitancy
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