Rheum-CoV-2 Vaccination Case Series

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Immunology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• The widespread rollout of mRNA vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has been crucial in global pandemic control.
• Understanding potential adverse events, including autoimmune manifestations, is essential for comprehensive vaccine safety monitoring.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present a series of cases detailing the onset of autoimmune rheumatic diseases following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination.
• To investigate potential associations between COVID-19 vaccination and new-onset rheumatic conditions.

Main Methods:

• A case series methodology was employed, reviewing electronic medical records of five patients from Brooke Army Medical Center.
• Patients developed new rheumatic disease manifestations after receiving the second dose of either Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna COVID-19 vaccines.
• Clinical data included patient demographics, vaccination history, and rheumatologic evaluation findings.

Main Results:

• Five elderly patients (four women, one man) developed new autoimmune rheumatic diseases post-vaccination.
• Presentations included symmetric polyarthritis (wrist, hand, lower extremity), shoulder/hip stiffness, and arthralgias.
• Some cases exhibited seropositivity for rheumatoid factor and elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate, with one responding to glucocorticoids.

Conclusions:

• The presented cases suggest a temporal association between mRNA COVID-19 vaccination and the onset of autoimmune rheumatic diseases.
• A definitive causal or contributory relationship requires further investigation and research.
• Continued surveillance is necessary to fully elucidate the potential impact of COVID-19 vaccination on rheumatic disease development.