Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Case Reports
. 2023 Aug 18;23(1):360.
doi: 10.1186/s12886-023-03103-z.

Acute exacerbation of ocular graft-versus-host disease and anterior uveitis after COVID-19 vaccination

Chen-Yu Lin  1 , Hung-Jen Chien  2
Affiliations
Case Reports

Acute exacerbation of ocular graft-versus-host disease and anterior uveitis after COVID-19 vaccination

Chen-Yu Lin et al. BMC Ophthalmol. .

Abstract

Background: To report a case of simultaneous occurrence of acute exacerbation of ocular graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) and anterior uveitis following coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination.

Case presentation: A 60-year-old man with primary myelofibrosis and GVHD after receiving allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), developed acute exacerbation of ocular GVHD and anterior uveitis after receiving first dose of COVID-19 vaccine. The patient developed erythema of the eyelids, conjunctival hyperemia, superficial punctate keratopathy, and prominent anterior chamber inflammation in both eyes. The ocular GVHD and anterior uveitis were managed with mainly topical corticosteroids, antibiotics, lubricants, and systemic corticosteroids, but were difficult to control. Intravitreal injection of dexamethasone was administered, and the inflammation gradually subsided 6 months after the onset of initial symptoms.

Conclusions: Clinicians should be aware of rare refractory anterior uveitis and acute exacerbation of ocular GVHD after COVID-19 vaccination in patients undergoing HSCT. Early diagnosis and aggressive treatment should be considered to reduce the likelihood of severe complications.

Keywords: Anterior uveitis; Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination; Graft-versus-host disease (GVHD); Hematopoietic stem cell transplantation; Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2).

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Photography at presentation. (A) Image of the right eye (RE) showed prominent anterior chamber inflammation with posterior synechiae. Band keratopathy was due to ocular graft-versus-host disease and keratoconjunctivitis sicca. (B) Image of the left eye showed central corneal perforation and hypopyon. (C) Eyelid margin erosion of RE. (D) Photography of the back showed erythematous skin eruptions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Jagasia MH, Greinix HT, Arora M, Williams KM, Wolff D, Cowen EW, et al. National Institutes of Health Consensus Development Project on Criteria for clinical trials in chronic graft-versus-host disease: I. The 2014 diagnosis and staging Working Group Report. Biol Blood Marrow Transplant. 2015;21:389–401e1. doi: 10.1016/j.bbmt.2014.12.001. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N, Absalon J, Gurtman A, Lockhart S, et al. Safety and Efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020;383:2603–15. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2034577. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Baden LR, El Sahly HM, Essink B, Kotloff K, Frey S, Novak R, et al. Efficacy and safety of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2021;384:403–16. doi: 10.1056/NEJMoa2035389. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ram R, Hagin D, Kikozashvilli N, Freund T, Amit O, Bar-On Y, et al. Safety and Immunogenicity of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine in patients after allogeneic HCT or CD19-based CART therapy—A single-center prospective cohort study. Transplantation and Cellular Therapy. 2021;27:788–94. doi: 10.1016/j.jtct.2021.06.024. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Ngo D, Chen J, Tinajero J, Aribi A, Arslan S, Marcucci G, et al. The impact of SARS-CoV2 vaccines on the incidence of graft versus host disease in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant recipients: a single-center retrospective study. Stem Cell Res Ther. 2023;14:95. doi: 10.1186/s13287-023-03326-3. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

Substances