COVID-19 Vaccine Associated Dermatomyositis

Pembrolizumab-associated anti-MDA5 dermatomyositis in a patient with lung cancer: a first case report

We report the first case of anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5)-positive dermatomyositis as a systemic immune-related adverse event in a 64-year-old man receiving pembrolizumab to treat advanced lung cancer. The patient experienced hypothyroidism, myalgia, skin involvement, dyspnoea and diarrhoea. Laboratory tests revealed raised inflammatory markers, hypercreatinekinasemia and anti-MDA5 autoantibodies. Electroneuromyography and pathognomonic signs on physical examination confirmed the diagnosis of pauci-myopathic dermatomyositis. Pembrolizumab was discontinued and immunosuppressive therapy led to rapid and progressive improvement, with complete remission of dermatomyositis. This case report widens the spectrum of systemic immune-related adverse events associated with pembrolizumab.

Spontaneous resolution of inflammatory myopathy involving the masseter muscle following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

According to previous reports, most cases of inflammatory myopathy following messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination can be classified as idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, particularly dermatomyositis, owing to their similar clinical features and courses. However, some patients have different clinical features and courses. We report a rare case of transient inflammatory myopathy involving the masseter muscle following the third dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination. An 80-year-old woman presented with a history of fever and fatigue for 3 months soon after receiving the third COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Her symptoms progressed to jaw pain and inability to open her mouth. She also experienced mild proximal muscle weakness in the lower limbs but no skin manifestations or daily difficulties. Fat-saturated T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral high-intensity signals for the masseter and quadriceps muscles. The patient experienced spontaneous resolution of fever and improvement of symptoms 5 months after onset. The timing of the onset of symptoms, the lack of detectable autoantibodies, and the atypical presentation of myopathy in the masseter muscles, in addition to the spontaneous mild course of the disease, all indicate the substantial role of mRNA vaccination in this myopathy. Since then, the patient has been followed up for 4 months without any recurrence of symptoms or any additional treatment. It is important to recognise that the course of myopathy after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination could be different from that of typical idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.

Environmental exposures as risk factors for idiopathic inflammatory myopathies

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies (IIM) are a heterogeneous group of rare autoimmune diseases, with increasing incidence rates observed in the recent years. The pathogenesis of IIM remains not fully understood, and the interaction of genetic and environmental factors is suspected. It is unclear whether the observed upward trend in the IIM incidence is solely due to improved access to effective diagnostics or perhaps due to increased exposure to external risk factors. The PUBMED database was thoroughly searched for articles describing environmental exposures potentially triggering the onset of IIM. The article summarizes the current knowledge available on this subject, taking into account various environmental factors, including among others UV radiation, infectious agents with SARS-CoV-2, inhaled particles, or iatrogenic effects. Limitations and unmet needs requiring further studies were highlighted.

New-Onset Rheumatic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases Following SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinations until May 2023: A Systematic Review

A comprehensive, up-to-date systematic review (SR) of the new-onset rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (R-IMIDs) following COVID-19 vaccinations is lacking. Therefore, we investigated the demographics, management, and prognosis of new R-IMIDs in adults following SARS-CoV-2 vaccinations. A systematic literature search of Medline, Embase, Google Scholar, LitCovid, and Cochrane was conducted. We included any English-language study that reported new-onset R-IMID in adults following the post-COVID-19 vaccination. A total of 271 cases were reported from 39 countries between January 2021 and May 2023. The mean age of patients was 56 (range 18-90), and most were females (170, 62.5%). Most (153, 56.5%) received the Pfizer BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. Nearly 50% of patients developed R-IMID after the second dose of the vaccine. Vasculitis was the most prevalent clinical presentation (86, 31.7%), followed by connective tissue disease (66, 24.3%). The mean duration between the vaccine's 'trigger' dose and R-IMID was 11 days. Most (220, 81.2%) received corticosteroids; however, 42% (115) received DMARDs such as methotrexate, cyclophosphamide, tocilizumab, anakinra, IV immunoglobulins, plasma exchange, or rituximab. Complete remission was achieved in 75 patients (27.7%), and 137 (50.6%) improved following the treatment. Two patients died due to myositis. This SR highlights that SARS-CoV-2 vaccines may trigger R-IMID; however, further epidemiology studies are required.

Idiopathic inflammatory myopathies linked to vaccination against SARS-CoV-2: a systematic review

The COVID-19 pandemic represents a global health problem, which has been mitigated by the opportune introduction of vaccination programs. Although we already know the benefit that vaccines provide, these are not exempt from adverse events which can be mild to deadly, such as idiopathic inflammatory myopathies, in which a temporal association has not been defined. It is for this reason that we carried out a systematic review of all reported cases of vaccination against COVID-19 and myositis. To identify previously reported cases of idiopathic inflammatory myopathies associated with vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 we registered this protocol on the website of PROSPERO with identification number CRD42022355551. Of the 63 publications identified in MEDLINE and 117 in Scopus, 21 studies were included, reporting 31 cases of patients with vaccination-associated myositis. Most of these cases were women (61.3%); mean age was 52.3 years (range 19-76 years) and mean time of symptom onset post-vaccination was 6.8 days. More than half of the cases were associated with Comirnaty, 11 cases (35.5%) were classified as dermatomyositis, and 9 (29%) as amyopathic dermatomyositis. In 6 (19.3%) patients another probable trigger was identified. Case reports of inflammatory myopathies associated with vaccination have heterogeneous presentations without any specific characteristics: as a consequence, it is not possible to ensure a temporal association between vaccination and the development of inflammatory myopathies. Large epidemiological studies are required to determine the existence of a causal association.

Appearance of anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis after COVID-19 vaccination

The direct causes of dermatomyositis, a common autoimmune disease, have not yet been accurately identified, but several studies have linked this condition to various patient-associated and environmental factors, such as viral infections and area of residence. In the present report, we describe our experience with a patient presenting with anti-melanoma differentiation-associated gene 5 (MDA5) antibody-positive dermatomyositis, which developed after vaccination against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). This patient was simultaneously diagnosed with anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody-positive slowly progressive insulin-dependent diabetes (SPIDDM); her human leucocyte antigen test revealed that she expressed the DRB1*04:05 allele. This is important as this genotype is known to increase susceptibility to both anti-MDA5 antibody-positive dermatomyositis and type I diabetes. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case of dermatomyositis complicated by SPIDDM identified after COVID-19 vaccination against COVID-19 and presenting with an underlying susceptible genotype. The patient's genetic predisposition may also be important for the development of autoimmune disease after COVID-19 vaccination.

Inflammatory myopathy following coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination: A systematic review

Introduction

Reports of unexpected side effects have accompanied the vaccination of larger proportions of the population against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), including a few cases of inflammatory myopathy (IM). In a bid to improve understanding of the clinical course of vaccine complications, a systematic review of reported cases of IM following COVID-19 vaccination has been conducted.

Methods

The PRISMA guideline 2020 was followed. Two independent investigators systematically searched PubMed and Embase to identify relevant studies published up to July 2022, using the following keywords: COVID-19 Vaccine, inflammatory myositis. The Joanna Briggs Institute critical appraisal tools were used for the risk of bias.

Results

A total of 24 articles presenting clinical features of 37 patients with IM following COVID-19 vaccine were identified. Female patients composed 59.5% of cases and 82.4% had been vaccinated with BNT162b2 or ChAdOx1. Onset of symptoms occurred within 2 weeks of the first or second vaccine dose in 29 (85.3%) patients and included muscular weakness in 54.1% and skin rash in 71.4% of patients. Myositis specific autoantibodies (MSAs) and myositis associated autoantibodies (MAAs) were reported in 28 patients. Specific clinical subtypes of myositis, reported in 27 patients, included 22 (81.5%) cases of dermatomyositis (DM) and 3 (11.1%) cases of immune-mediated necrotizing myopathy (IMNM). Following treatment, 32 (86.5%) patients showed improvement on follow-up.

Conclusion

COVID-19 vaccine may induce various clinical myositis subtypes and related antibodies. Muscular weakness was the most common presenting symptom. Clinicians should be aware of this unexpected adverse event following COVID-19 vaccination and arrange for appropriate management.

Systematic review registration

INPLASY https://inplasy.com/inplasy-2022-9-0084/ [INPLASY202290084].

New-onset and relapsed liver diseases following COVID-19 vaccination: a systematic review

BACKGROUND

Liver diseases post-COVID-19 vaccination is extremely rare but can occur. A growing body of evidence has indicated that portal vein thrombosis, autoimmune hepatitis, raised liver enzymes and liver injuries, etc., may be potential consequence of COVID-19 vaccines.

OBJECTIVES

To describe the results of a systematic review for new-onset and relapsed liver disease following COVID-19 vaccination.

METHODS

For this systematic review, we searched Proquest, Medline, Embase, PubMed, CINAHL, Wiley online library, Scopus and Nature through the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta Analyses PRISMA guideline for studies on the incidence of new onset or relapsed liver diseases post-COVID-19 vaccination, published from December 1, 2020 to July 31, 2022, with English language restriction.

RESULTS

Two hundred seventy-five cases from one hundred and eighteen articles were included in the qualitative synthesis of this systematic review. Autoimmune hepatitis (138 cases) was the most frequent pathology observed post-COVID-19 vaccination, followed by portal vein thrombosis (52 cases), raised liver enzymes (26 cases) and liver injury (21 cases). Other cases include splanchnic vein thrombosis, acute cellular rejection of the liver, jaundice, hepatomegaly, acute hepatic failure and hepatic porphyria. Mortality was reported in any of the included cases for acute hepatic failure (n = 4, 50%), portal vein thrombosis (n = 25, 48.1%), splanchnic vein thrombosis (n = 6, 42.8%), jaundice (n = 1, 12.5%), raised liver enzymes (n = 2, 7.7%), and autoimmune hepatitis (n = 3, 2.2%). Most patients were easily treated without any serious complications, recovered and did not require long-term hepatic therapy.

CONCLUSION

Reported evidence of liver diseases post-COIVD-19 vaccination should not discourage vaccination against this worldwide pandemic. The number of reported cases is relatively very small in relation to the hundreds of millions of vaccinations that have occurred and the protective benefits offered by COVID-19 vaccination far outweigh the risks.

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory conditions after COVID-19 vaccination. New case reports and updated literature review

Autoimmunity linked to COVID-19 immunization has been recorded throughout the pandemic. Herein we present six new patients who experienced relapses of previous autoimmune disease (AD) or developed a new autoimmune or autoinflammatory condition following vaccination. In addition, we documented additional cases through a systematic review of the literature up to August 1st, 2022, in which 464 studies (928 cases) were included. The majority of patients (53.6%) were women, with a median age of 48 years (IQR: 34 to 66). The median period between immunization and the start of symptoms was eight days (IQR: 3 to 14). New-onset conditions were observed in 81.5% (n: 756) of the cases. The most common diseases associated with new-onset events following vaccination were immune thrombocytopenia, myocarditis, and Guillain-Barré syndrome. In contrast, immune thrombocytopenia, psoriasis, IgA nephropathy, and systemic lupus erythematosus were the most common illnesses associated with relapsing episodes (18.5%, n: 172). The first dosage was linked with new-onset events (69.8% vs. 59.3%, P = 0.0100), whereas the second dose was related to relapsing disease (29.5% vs. 59.3%, P = 0.0159). New-onset conditions and relapsing diseases were more common in women (51.5% and 62.9%, respectively; P = 0.0081). The groups were evenly balanced in age. No deaths were recorded after the disease relapsed, while 4.7% of patients with new-onset conditions died (P = 0.0013). In conclusion, there may be an association between COVID-19 vaccination and autoimmune and inflammatory diseases. Some ADs seem to be more common than others. Vaccines and SARS-CoV-2 may induce autoimmunity through similar mechanisms. Large, well-controlled studies are warranted to validate this relationship and assess additional variables such as genetic and other environmental factors.

New-onset dermatomyositis following SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination: a case-based review

Dermatomyositis is a rare, type I interferon-driven autoimmune disease, which can affect muscle, skin and internal organs (especially the pulmonary system). In 2021, we have noted an increase in new-onset dermatomyositis compared to the years before the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic in our center. We present four cases of new-onset NXP2 and/or MDA5 positive dermatomyositis shortly after SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination. Three cases occurred within days after vaccination with Comirnaty and one case after SARS-CoV-2 infection. All patients required intensive immunosuppressive treatment. MDA5 antibodies could be detected in three patients and NXP2 antibodies were found in two patients (one patient was positive for both antibodies). In this case-based systematic review, we further analyze and discuss the literature on SARS-CoV-2 and associated dermatomyositis. In the literature, sixteen reports (with a total of seventeen patients) of new-onset dermatomyositis in association with a SARS-CoV-2 infection or vaccination were identified. Ten cases occurred after infection and seven after vaccination. All vaccination-associated cases were seen in mRNA vaccines. The reported antibodies included for instance MDA5, NXP2, Mi-2 and TIF1γ. The reviewed literature and our cases suggest that SARS-CoV-2 infection and vaccination may be considered as a potential trigger of interferon-pathway. Consequently, this might serve as a stimulus for the production of dermatomyositis-specific autoantibodies like MDA5 and NXP2 which are closely related to viral defense or viral RNA interaction supporting the concept of infection and vaccination associated dermatomyositis.