[Rheumatological manifestations following hepatitis B vaccination. A report of 2 clinical cases]

In the literature there are a few occasional case reports of rheumatic manifestations following vaccination. The link between vaccination and musculoskeletal complaints was established on the grounds of the chronological succession between the two events. The occurrence of an individual genetic predisposition has been stressed many times. With regard to immunopathological mechanisms, it has been proposed the vaccination as a trigger of a very autoimmune disease or an immune complex-induced disease. In this paper we describe two females who underwent vaccination against hepatitis B virus. One complained of polyarticular pain that, even if self-limiting, was accompanied by the positivity of RA-test and Waaler-Rose reaction; the other showed migratory arthritis, urticaria and oedema of the glottis and the upper lip, all successfully treated with a short course of corticosteroids. We think these reports are of interest at the time when vaccination against hepatitis B virus is becoming a mass practice.