COVID-19 Vaccination reduced pneumonia severity

Noriaki Wada; Yi Li; Takuya Hino; Staci Gagne; Vladimir I. Valtchinov; Elizabeth Gay; Mizuki Nishino; Bruno Madore; Charles R.G. Guttmann; Sheila Bond; Kousei Ishigami; Gary M. Hunninghake; Bruce D. Levy; Kenneth M. Kaye; David C. Christiani; Hiroto Hatabu

European Journal of Radiology Open (Jan 2022)

COVID-19 Vaccination reduced pneumonia severity

Noriaki Wada,
Yi Li,
Takuya Hino,
Staci Gagne,
Vladimir I. Valtchinov,
Elizabeth Gay,
Mizuki Nishino,
Bruno Madore,
Charles R.G. Guttmann,
Sheila Bond,
Kousei Ishigami,
Gary M. Hunninghake,
Bruce D. Levy,
Kenneth M. Kaye,
David C. Christiani,
Hiroto Hatabu

Affiliations

Noriaki Wada: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Corresponding author.
Yi Li: Department of Biostatistics, University of Michigan, 1415 Washington Heights, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
Takuya Hino: Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3–1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 8128582, Japan
Staci Gagne: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Vladimir I. Valtchinov: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Elizabeth Gay: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Mizuki Nishino: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Bruno Madore: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Charles R.G. Guttmann: Center for Neurological Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Sheila Bond: Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Kousei Ishigami: Department of Clinical Radiology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Kyushu University, 3–1-1 Maidashi, Higashi-ku, Fukuoka, Fukuoka 8128582, Japan
Gary M. Hunninghake: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA; Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Bruce D. Levy: Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Kenneth M. Kaye: Division of Infectious Diseases, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
David C. Christiani: Pulmonary and Critical Care Division, Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 55 Fruit Street, Boston, MA. 02114, United States; Department of Environmental Health, Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, 655 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Hiroto Hatabu: Center for Pulmonary Functional Imaging, Department of Radiology, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School, 75 Francis Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA

Journal volume & issue: Vol. 9
p. 100456

Abstract

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Purpose: To investigate the effect of vaccinations and boosters on the severity of COVID-19 pneumonia on CT scans during the period of Delta and Omicron variants. Methods: Retrospectively studied were 303 patients diagnosed with COVID-19 between July 2021 and February 2022, who had obtained at least one CT scan within 6 weeks around the COVID-19 diagnosis (−2 to +4 weeks). The severity of pneumonia was evaluated with a 6-point scale Pneumonia Score. The association between demographic and clinical data and vaccination status (booster/additional vaccination, complete vaccination and un-vaccination) and the difference between Pneumonia Scores by vaccination status were investigated. Results: Of 303 patients (59.4 ± 16.3 years; 178 females), 62 (20 %) were in the booster/additional vaccination group, 117 (39 %) in the complete vaccination group, and 124 (41 %) in the unvaccinated group. Interobserver agreement of the Pneumonia Score was high (weighted kappa score = 0.875). Patients in the booster/additionally vaccinated group tended to be older (P = 0.0085) and have more underlying comorbidities (P < 0.0001), and the Pneumonia Scores were lower in the booster/additionally vaccinated [median 2 (IQR 0–4)] and completely vaccinated groups [median 3 (IQR 1–4)] than those in the unvaccinated group [median 4 (IQR 2–4)], respectively (P < 0.0001 and P < 0.0001, respectively). A multivariable linear analysis adjusted for confounding factors confirmed the difference. Conclusion: Vaccinated patients, with or without booster/additional vaccination, had milder COVID-19 pneumonia on CT scans than unvaccinated patients during the period of Delta and Omicron variants. This study supports the efficacy of the vaccine against COVID-19 from a radiological perspective.

Published in European Journal of Radiology Open

ISSN: 2352-0477 (Online)
Publisher: Elsevier
Country of publisher: Netherlands
LCC subjects: Medicine: Medicine (General): Medical physics. Medical radiology. Nuclear medicine
Website: http://www.journals.elsevier.com/european-journal-of-radiology-open/

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