ASIA syndrome: Adverse reaction or autoimmunity?

Autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA): A case of systemic symptoms following breast implants and vaccinations

INTRODUCTION AND IMPORTANCE

The Autoimmune/inflammatory Syndrome Induced by Adjuvants (ASIA) is a recently recognized entity characterized by a constellation of nonspecific symptoms that develop after exposure to adjuvants. Adjuvants can include vaccines, silicone, and other foreign substances. Here, we present the case of a 31-year-old woman who developed ASIA syndrome following breast implants and booster vaccinations, emphasizing the diagnostic challenges and treatment considerations.

CASE PRESENTATION

A 31-year-old female presented with a history of progressive systemic symptoms including chronic fatigue, myalgia, arthralgia, and headaches, four months after receiving breast implants. Her clinical history was further complicated by multiple vaccinations, including influenza and SARS-CoV-2 boosters. After extensive diagnostic workup and unsuccessful medical management, she was diagnosed with ASIA syndrome. The decision was made to remove the implants, leading to rapid and complete resolution of her symptoms.

CLINICAL DISCUSSION

ASIA syndrome is a difficult diagnosis due to its broad symptomatology and its mimicry of other autoimmune and inflammatory conditions. Diagnostic criteria, proposed by Shoenfeld et al., include exposure to adjuvants and the appearance of typical clinical manifestations such as fatigue, myalgias, and arthralgias. In this case, the temporal association with breast implants and vaccinations made the diagnosis more evident. Surgical removal of the implants led to immediate improvement, reinforcing the diagnosis.

CONCLUSION

This case highlights the importance of recognizing ASIA syndrome as a potential diagnosis in patients with exposure to adjuvants and unexplained systemic symptoms. Early diagnosis and intervention, such as removal of the triggering adjuvant, are essential for patient recovery.

EVIDENCE BASED MEDICINE RANKING

Level IV.

Ear abnormalities in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), Coronavirus-19 infectious disease (COVID) and long-COVID syndrome (PCS), sick-building syndrome (SBS), post-orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), and autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA): A systematic review

Chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), fibromyalgia (FM), silicone breast implants (SBI), Coronavirus-19 infectious disease (COVID), COVID-19 vaccination (post-COVIDvac-syndrome), Long-COVID syndrome (PCS), sick-building syndrome (SBS), post-orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (PoTS), and autoimmune/ inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA) are a cluster of poorly understood medical conditions that have in common a group of ill-defined symptoms and dysautonomic features. Most of the clinical findings of this group of diseases are unspecific, such as fatigue, diffuse pain, cognitive impairment, paresthesia, tachycardia, anxiety, and depression. Hearing disturbances and vertigo have also been described in this context, the underlying pathophysiologic process for these conditions might rely on autonomic autoimmune dysbalance. The authors procced a literature review regarding to hearing and labyrinthic disturbances in CSF, FM, SBI, COVID, post-COVIDvac-syndrome, PCS, SBS, POTS, and ASIA. The PRISMA guidelines were followed, and the literature reviewed encompassed papers from January 1990 to January 2024. After the initial evaluation of the articles found in the search through Pubmed, Scielo and Embase, a total of 172 articles were read and included in this review. The prevalence of hearing loss, dizziness, vertigo and tinnitus was described and correlated with the diseases investigated in this study. There are great variability in the frequencies of symptoms found, but cochlear complaints are the most frequent in most studies. Vestibular symptoms are less reported. The main pathophysiological mechanisms are discussed. Direct effects of the virus in the inner ear or nervous pathways, impaired vascular perfusion, cross-reaction or autoimmune immunoreactivity, oxidative stress, DNA methylation, epigenetic modifications and gene activation were implicated in the generation of the investigated symptoms. In clinical practice, all patients with these autoimmune conditions who have any audiological complaint an ENT consultation followed by an audiometry are needed.

Vaccines and Autoimmunity-From Side Effects to ASIA Syndrome

Since vaccines are in fact manufactured chemical compounds such as drugs, the appearance of side effects following their use is not surprising. Similarly, as the main goal of vaccines is to stimulate the immune system bringing out the production of protective antibodies, autoimmune-related side effects as a consequence of increased immune activity do not seem irrational. Fortunately, the rate of such side effects is low; however, the importance of reporting adverse events following vaccinations, understanding the mechanisms behind their appearance, making early diagnosis, and appropriate treatment cannot be overemphasized. In fact, autoimmune-related side effects of vaccines, particularly those based on adjuvants, were reported long before the introduction of the autoimmune/inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants (ASIA). Nevertheless, ASIA gathered and united the side effects of vaccines under one title, a step which helped organize the research and call for better immune stimulators than adjuvants. New technologies and methods of making vaccines were clearly noticed during the pandemic of COVID-19 after the introduction of mRNA-based vaccines. In our current paper, we introduce the notion of side effects to vaccines, particularly those of autoimmune nature, the mechanisms of ASIA, and the main vaccines linked with the syndrome including the recent COVID-19 vaccines. The transition from side effects to ASIA is the main idea behind our work.