The Association of Polymyalgia Rheumatica and Giant Cell Arteritis With COVID-19 Vaccination: A Systematic Review

Area of Science:

• Rheumatology
• Immunology
• Vaccinology

Background:

• Polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) are inflammatory conditions potentially triggered by infections and vaccinations.
• This review focuses on new-onset PMR and GCA following COVID-19 vaccination.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically analyze the association between COVID-19 vaccination and the onset or flare of PMR and/or GCA.
• To highlight clinical features, diagnostic findings, and treatment outcomes of these cases.

Main Methods:

• A descriptive systematic review of published case reports and case series.
• Literature search across PubMed/MEDLINE, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Google Scholar.
• Data extraction on demographics, clinical features, outcomes, and latency periods; quality assessment using Joanna Briggs Institute Critical Appraisal Tool.

Main Results:

• 50 new-onset cases (30 PMR, 20 GCA) identified across 32 articles.
• Mean age: 71.06 years (PMR), 72.85 years (GCA); 60% female predominance.
• Latency periods: 11.03 days (PMR), 5.3 days (GCA); most patients responded to corticosteroids.

Conclusions:

• A temporal association exists between COVID-19 vaccines (mRNA and viral vector) and the onset of PMR and GCA.
• Clinicians should be aware of this potential association for timely diagnosis and treatment.
• Further large-scale epidemiological studies are needed to explore this association.