The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID) will conduct a clinical trial to gauge whether people who are highly allergic or have a mast cell disorder are at increased risk for an immediate allergic reaction to the Moderna or Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines.
A mast cell disorder is a disease caused by a type of white blood cell called a mast cell that is abnormal, overly active, or both, causing a person to have life-threatening reactions that look like allergic reactions.
The study team will enroll 3,400 adults ages 18 to 69 years at up to 35 academic allergy-research centers nationwide, according to study criteria. And because females are known to have more severe reactions to vaccines in general — to the Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccines in particular — nearly two-thirds of participants will be female.
SOURCE: National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases April 7, 2021