'Too young to have breast cancer': Rates among young Canadian women rising
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
A new study that did a systematic review of COVID-19 vaccine trials suggests that the negative version of the placebo effect may be behind mild COVID-19 vaccine side-effects like headache and fatigue, and not the vaccines themselves.
The study, published in the JAMA Open Network on Tuesday, examined 12 COVID-19 vaccine trials in the Medline (PubMed) and Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) databases that were published up until July 14, 2021.
The researchers behind the study say that according to a global survey from January 2021, 47 per cent of respondents were worried about adverse effects (AEs) from a COVID-19 vaccine, which may feed into vaccine hesitancy.
However, the study found that the “nocebo” effect accounted for approximately 76 per cent of all common AEs after the first dose of COVID-19 vaccine and close to 52 per cent after the second dose.
The nocebo effect refers to when a person experiences unpleasant side-effects after taking a placebo, and is thought to stem from negative expectations associated with taking the treatment.
The researchers suggest that a large portion of common side-effects to COVID-19 vaccines like headaches, fatigue and pain in the arm are not from the vaccine, but from factors like anxiety and wrongly attributing various ailments with getting inoculated.
The findings suggest that approximately two-thirds of common side-effects that are reported in COVID-19 vaccine trials were prompted by the nocebo effect, especially headache and fatigue, which are often listed as common reactions after inoculation.
The study examined the AEs reported in the 12 trials, which included data on the participants who received a placebo (salt solution) instead of the vaccine. The study did not examine severe side-effects like myocarditis or blood clots.
Thirty-five per cent of the participants in the placebo cohorts reported side-effects like headaches and short-term fatigue, and 16 per cent reported arm pain, swelling or redness at the injection site.
Participants who received the real vaccine in the trials experienced more side-effects, with approximately 46 per cent reporting headache and fatigue and 66 per cent reporting at least one localized side effect such as arm pain, swelling or redness at the injection site.
The findings suggest that after the first vaccine dose, nocebo responses accounted for 76 per cent of “systemic” side-effects like headache and fatigue, and 24 per cent of localized AEs.
However, after the second dose, 32 per cent of the placebo cohorts reported systemic side-effects and 12 per cent reported localized AEs, compared with 61 per cent of the vaccine recipients reporting systemic side-effects and 73 per cent reporting localized AEs.
The study states that compared with the first-dose findings, the larger difference in adverse effects between the placebo groups and vaccine groups in the trials was found after the second dose.
However, ratios between adverse effect proportions in the placebo and vaccine cohorts of the trials indicated that nocebo responses accounted for 52 per cent of systemic side-effects and 16 per cent of localized AEs after the second dose.
The researchers posit that listing the common side-effects on COVID-19 vaccination leaflets may increase nocebo effects related to anxiety and expectations from the recipients, and say that an increase in transparent communication about nocebo responses may be helpful to the public.
Breast cancer rates are rising in Canada among women in their 20s, 30s and 40s, according to research by the University of Ottawa (uOttawa).
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
Charlie Woods failed to advance in a U.S. Open local qualifying event Thursday, shooting a 9-over 81 at Legacy Golf & Tennis Club.
As more Canadians find themselves struggling to afford or find housing, the country's smallest province is the only one that can point to legislation recognizing housing as a human right.
A CSIS officer's allegations that she was raped repeatedly by a superior in agency vehicles set off a harassment inquiry, but also triggered an investigation into her that concluded the alleged attacks were a “misuse” of agency vehicles by the woman.
Why is H5N1, or bird flu, a concern, how does it spread, and is there a vaccine? Here are the answers to some frequently asked questions about avian influenza.
Environmentalist groups are sounding the alarm about a steep increase in the number of pro-plastic lobbyists at the UN pollution talks taking place this week.
Royal commentator Afua Hagan writes that when King Charles recently admitted Catherine to the Order of the Companions of Honour, it not only made history, but it reinforced the strong bond between the King and his beloved daughter-in-law.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
A property tax bill is perplexing a small townhouse community in Fergus, Ont.
When identical twin sisters Kim and Michelle Krezonoski were invited to compete against some of the world’s most elite female runners at last week’s Boston Marathon, they were in disbelief.
The giant stone statues guarding the Lions Gate Bridge have been dressed in custom Vancouver Canucks jerseys as the NHL playoffs get underway.
A local Oilers fan is hoping to see his team cut through the postseason, so he can cut his hair.
A family from Laval, Que. is looking for answers... and their father's body. He died on vacation in Cuba and authorities sent someone else's body back to Canada.
A former educational assistant is calling attention to the rising violence in Alberta's classrooms.
The federal government says its plan to increase taxes on capital gains is aimed at wealthy Canadians to achieve “tax fairness.”
At 6'8" and 350 pounds, there is nothing typical about UBC offensive lineman Giovanni Manu, who was born in Tonga and went to high school in Pitt Meadows.