Svetlana Blitshteyn, Jill R Schofield, Nichole Haire, Lawrence B Afrin
Vasovagal syncope (VVS) is the most common form of cardiovascular dysautonomia that has multiple etiologies. Post-vaccination dysautonomia, in the form of VVS and postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, has been reported in the literature after various vaccines, including COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Treatment of post-vaccination syndromes has not been explored leaving patients with post-vaccination dysautonomia with limited therapeutic options. We report a 42-year-old woman who developed post-vaccination VVS after COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and improved significantly with semaglutide treatment. Her COMPASS-31 score decreased by 44% post-treatment, Orthostatic Hypotension Questionnaire score decreased by 59%, and an average 24-hr heart rate decreased from 97 bpm to 80 bpm, indicating significant reduction in the autonomic symptom burden. In addition, her post-vaccination neuropathic pain in the feet completely resolved after treatment with semaglutide. This case report suggests that GLP-1 receptor agonists might be beneficial for treatment of recurrent VVS, other forms of cardiovascular dysautonomia and post-vaccination syndromes with neuropathic pain, and need to be considered as candidates for randomized placebo-controlled trials in this patient population.