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Meningitis after COVID-19 vaccination, a systematic review of case reports and case series
Amirhomayoun Atefi1,2, Aref Ghanaatpisheh3, Amirhosein Ghasemi1
1Student Research Committee, School of Medicine, Guilan University of Medical Sciences, Rasht, Iran.
Introduction:
Vaccination is considered as one of the most promising strategies to overcome the COVID-19 pandemic. However, it could be associated with rare but serious complications. In the present study, we aimed to review the clinical course and etiology of post COVID-19 vaccination meningitis.
Methods:
After a systematic search in PubMed, Scopus, and Web of Sciences online databases as well as Google Scholar, documents were screened and qualified. Then data extraction was performed and the most frequent underlying agent of meningitis was found based on the reported cases.
Results:
Overall, 35 cases of post COVID-19 vaccination meningitis from 33 articles were included in the review. Among them, 12 cases had proven viral diagnosis and 23 of them were reported to be vaccine-induced. The most frequent viral pathogen among the cases was VZV. The most prevalent symptom was headache, and the most common time of appearance symptoms was one week after vaccination.
Conclusion:
Overall, our study suggested meningitis as a critical but not devastating complication of COVID-19 vaccination. Almost all patients responded well to common agents used to manage viral or vaccine-induced meningitis. It is recommended to monitor patients with a history of chickenpox after COVID-19 vaccination regarding the development of meningitis.
Insights
Meningitis is a rare complication of COVID-19 vaccination, often vaccine-induced or viral, with headache being the most common symptom. Most patients recover well with standard treatment, but monitoring is advised for those with a history of chickenpox.
Area of Science:
- Neurology
- Infectious Diseases
- Immunology
Background:
- COVID-19 vaccination is crucial but can have rare complications.
- Meningitis is a potential neurological complication following COVID-19 vaccination.
- Understanding the etiology and clinical course of post-vaccination meningitis is essential.
Approach:
- Systematic literature review of PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Google Scholar.
- Screening and qualification of relevant documents.
- Data extraction to identify the most frequent causes of meningitis post-vaccination.
Key Points:
- 35 cases of post-COVID-19 vaccination meningitis were identified from 33 articles.
- 12 cases had viral meningitis, and 23 were vaccine-induced.
- Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) was the most frequent viral pathogen; headache was the most common symptom, appearing one week post-vaccination.
Conclusions:
- Meningitis is a critical, though generally not devastating, complication of COVID-19 vaccination.
- Patients typically respond well to treatments for viral or vaccine-induced meningitis.
- Individuals with a history of chickenpox should be monitored for meningitis after COVID-19 vaccination.
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