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Review
. 2022 Jun;35(6):e15458.
doi: 10.1111/dth.15458. Epub 2022 Mar 25.

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination-induced cutaneous vasculitis: Report of two new cases and literature review

Ayman Abdelmaksoud  1   2 , Uwe Wollina  3 , Selami Aykut Temiz  4 , Abdulkarim Hasan  5
Affiliations
Review

SARS-CoV-2 vaccination-induced cutaneous vasculitis: Report of two new cases and literature review

Ayman Abdelmaksoud et al. Dermatol Ther. 2022 Jun.

Abstract

Currently the most powerful tool in combating the COVID-19 pandemic is vaccination against SARS-CoV-2. A growing percentage of the world's population is being vaccinated. Various vaccines are worldwide on the market. Several adverse reactions have been reported as a part of post-marketing surveillance of COVID-19 vaccines. Among the possible adverse events, cutaneous vasculitis has occasionally been reported. We present a narrative review on cutaneous vasculitis related to COVID-19-vaccination to summarize clinical findings, histopathology, treatment and outcome. We searched for "COVID vaccine", "COVID vaccination" AND "cutaneous vasculitis" in PUBMED. Articles in English have been selected, from inception to December 2021, and analyzed for patient's characteristics, type of vaccine, time of appearance of cutaneous vasculitis and clinico-histopathologic type. Treatment and outcome have also been considered in this narrative review. Two new unpublished cases of ours were added. Cutaneous vasculitis is a rare adverse event to COVID-19 vaccination. It has been observed with mRNA and adenovirus-vector vaccines. IgA vasculitis, lymphocytic and ANCA-associated vasculitis, leukocytoclastic and urticarial vasculitis have been reported. This adverse event can occur after first or second shot. Most cases run a mild to moderate course. Cornerstone of medical treatment are systemic corticosteroids. Complete remission could be achieved in most patients. Vasculitis may not be considered as a contraindication of vaccination, being uncommonly reported and shows a favorable prognosis. The benefit of the vaccination remains high especially for immunocompromised patients. COVID-vaccine induced vasculitis is important in the differential diagnosis of purpuric and vasculitis disorders.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2 vaccination; adverse events; cutaneous vasculitis; mRNA vaccine; vector vaccine.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest.

Figures

FIGURE 1
FIGURE 1
(A) A case of a 17‐year‐old female with IgA‐vasculitis 10 days after the first dose of Pfizer‐BioNTech BNT16B2b2 mRNA vaccine. (B) A case of 48‐year‐old man with LCV 4 days after the second dose of Pfizer‐BioNTech BNT16B2b2 mRNA vaccine
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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