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We designed a web-based \u201cGoogle Form\u201d questionnaire to record self-reported systemic and local side effects up to 7\u00a0days after 1st and 2nd dose of the vaccine in two distinct Italian and Lebanese cohorts. Twenty-one questions in Italian and Arabic languages explored the prevalence and severity of 13 symptoms. Results were compared with respect to living country, timing, sex, and age classes. A total of 1,975 Italian subjects (age 42.9\u2009\u00b1\u2009SD16.8\u00a0years; 64.5% females) and 822 Lebanese subjects (age 32.5\u2009\u00b1\u2009SD15.9\u00a0years; 48.8% females) joined the study. The most common symptoms in both groups were injection site pain, weakness, and headache after the 1st and 2nd doses. The rate of post-vaccinal symptoms and the severity score were significantly higher in females than in males and progressively decreased with increasing age following both doses. We find that among two populations from the Mediterranean basin, the anti-COVID-19 vaccine generates mild age and sex-dependent adverse effects, with ethnic differences and prevalent symptoms rate and severity in females.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.1007\/s11739-023-03321-9","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,15]],"date-time":"2023-06-15T16:02:17Z","timestamp":1686844937000},"page":"1463-1475","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1007\/springer_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":6,"title":["Self-reported symptoms after COVID-19 vaccination. Distinct sex, age, and geographical outcomes in Lebanese and Italian cohorts"],"prefix":"10.1007","volume":"18","author":[{"given":"Mohamad","family":"Khalil","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Leonilde","family":"Bonfrate","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Agostino","family":"Di Ciaula","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-5359-1471","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Piero","family":"Portincasa","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"name":"The LEITvax Group^","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hala","family":"Abdallah","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Michela","family":"Capurso","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Ilaria","family":"Galerati","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Soukayna","family":"Hayek","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Hala","family":"Khalifeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Edoardo","family":"Mastandrea","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]},{"given":"Antonino","family":"Noto","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"role":"author","vocabulary":"crossref"}]}],"member":"297","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2023,6,15]]},"reference":[{"key":"3321_CR1","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","DOI":"10.3390\/ijms23031716","author":"E Gusev","year":"2022","unstructured":"Gusev E, Sarapultsev A, Solomatina L, Chereshnev V (2022) SARS-CoV-2-specific immune response and the pathogenesis of COVID-19. 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Human participants filled a questionnaire on a voluntary basis. The procedures followed were in accordance with the ethical standards of the responsible committee on human experimentation.","order":2,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Statements on human and animal rights"}},{"value":"The authors declare that they have no conflicts of interest.","order":3,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Conflict of interest"}},{"value":"Informed consent was waived since enrolled subjects filled a questionnaire on a voluntary basis.","order":4,"name":"Ethics","group":{"name":"EthicsHeading","label":"Informed consent"}}]}}