A Case of Giant Cell Arteritis Presenting After COVID-19 Vaccination: Is It Just a Coincidence?

Polymyalgia rheumatica and giant cell arteritis following COVID-19 vaccination: Results from a nationwide survey

We conducted a national in-depth analysis including pharmacovigilance reports and clinical study to assess the reporting rate (RR) and to determine the clinical profile of polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR) and giant cell arteritis (GCA) in COVID-19-vaccinated individuals. First, based on the French pharmacovigilance database, we estimated the RR of PMR and GCA cases in individuals aged over 50 who developed their initial symptoms within one month of receiving the BNT162b2 mRNA, mRNA-1273, ChAdOx1 nCoV-19, and Ad26.COV2.S vaccines. We then conducted a nationwide survey to gather clinical profiles, therapeutic management, and follow-up data from individuals registered in the pharmacovigilance study. A total of 70 854 684 COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered to 25 260 485 adults, among which, 179 cases of PMR (RR 7. 1 cases/1 000 000 persons) and 54 cases of GCA (RR 2. 1 cases/1 000 000 persons) have been reported. The nationwide survey allowed the characterization of 60 PMR and 35 GCA cases. Median time to the onset of first symptoms was 10 (range 2-30) and 7 (range 2-25) days for PMR and GCA, respectively. Phenotype, GCA-related ischemic complications and -large vessel vasculitis as well as therapeutic management and follow-up seemed similar according to the number of vaccine shots received and when compared to the literature data of unvaccinated population. Although rare, the short time between immunization and the onset of first symptoms of PMR and GCA suggests a temporal association. Physician should be aware of this potential vaccine-related phenomenon.

Three Cases of Arteritic Anterior Optic Neuropathy Several Months after COVID-19 Vaccination

Background

Vaccines have been approved worldwide to control the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). However, the postvaccination side effects remain controversial. Here, we describe three Japanese cases of arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (AAION) following COVID-19 vaccination. Case presentation. The first case involved an 87-year-old woman who presented with vision loss in the right eye 2 months after her second COVID-19 vaccine and in the left eye 2 days later. The second case involved an 88-year-old woman who presented with vision loss in both eyes 3 months after receiving a second vaccine. The third case involved an 80-year-old man who presented with vision loss in the right eye 5 months after receiving a second vaccine. The C-reactive protein level and erythrocyte sedimentation rate were elevated in all patients. Biopsy of the temporal artery or auricular cartilage showed arteritic occlusion in case 2 and polychondritis in case 3. These patients were referred to a local Japanese hospital in 2021 over a period of no longer than 3 months.

Conclusion

We observed three cases of AAION after the affected individuals received their second COVID-19 vaccine. Further long-term investigations of ophthalmological events after COVID-19 vaccination are warranted.

New-Onset Polymyalgia Rheumatica Complicated by Giant Cell Arteritis Following COVID-19 Infection

A 68-year-old female with a past medical history significant for tophaceous gout presented with pain and stiffness in her bilateral shoulders and hip joints for about two weeks after testing positive for COVID-19. Her laboratory results showed an elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 74 mm/h and C-reactive protein (CRP) of 25 mg/L. She showed clinical improvement in her symptoms after steroid therapy and was diagnosed with polymyalgia rheumatica (PMR). Despite prompt treatment with steroids, she continued to have persistent joint pain. Also, she developed new bilateral temporal artery tenderness, headaches, blurry vision, and jaw claudication concerning giant cell arteritis (GCA). She was admitted to the hospital for high-dose pulsed IV methylprednisolone and discharged with a steroid taper along with tocilizumab injections. Her symptoms improved rapidly, and she continued to follow up with rheumatology while continuing low-maintenance doses of prednisone. Although the association between PMR and GCA is well-known, the time it takes to reach disease remission, the rate of relapse, and the length of steroid treatment are variable. There are a few COVID-19-associated cases of PMR and GCA; however, the timeline and pathophysiology of this association remain an area for further investigation.

Bilateral Axillo-Brachial Artery Stenosis Following Messenger Ribonucleic Acid (mRNA) Vaccination Against Severe Acute Respiratory Coronavirus 2 (COVID-19)

The following case report is an overview of an unusual presentation of bilateral axillo-brachial artery occlusion following messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) vaccination against severe acute respiratory coronavirus 2 (COVID-19). A 64-year-old female presented with symptoms initially consistent with polymyalgia rheumatica five weeks following the first booster of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccine. She was successfully treated with prednisone therapy; however, despite the normalization of inflammatory markers, she later presented with bilaterally occluded axillo-brachial arteries. She successfully underwent endovascular management for the treatment of her symptoms. To our knowledge, this is the first case report of chronically occluded bilateral axillo-brachial artery disease following mRNA vaccination for COVID-19 successfully treated with endovascular therapy. The unusual pathogenesis of upper extremity arterial disease is reviewed and a review of endovascular treatment options is presented. A literature review of the types of vasculitis seen following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination is also presented.

Medium-vessel Vasculitis Presenting with Myalgia Following COVID-19 Moderna Vaccination

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines have been delivered worldwide to prevent the spread of the disease, and almost all Japanese have received the mRNA vaccines "BNT162b2" (Pfizer-BioNTech) or "mRNA-1273" (Moderna). These vaccines have shown efficacy and safety with only minor adverse drug reactions. However, some patients develop severe adverse drug reactions, including autoimmune reactions. In addition, systemic vasculitis, mainly small-vessel vasculitis, following COVID-19 vaccination, has been reported. However, only a few investigators have reported medium-vessel vasculitis following vaccination. We herein report a case of medium-vessel vasculitis presenting with myalgia as the initial clinical manifestation following COVID-19 Moderna vaccination.

A Case of Giant Cell Arteritis With a Normal Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate (ESR) Post ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 Vaccination

Giant cell arteritis (GCA) has been reported post the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccination, especially with the mRNA vaccine. A normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) is seen in some GCA patients.

This report describes a 68-year-old gentleman who presented with a right-sided temporal headache for three weeks, starting three to five days after his second dose of the ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccine, a viral vector vaccine, which was given seven weeks post the first dose. On presentation, he developed blurred vision in the left eye, and it progressed to complete vision loss four days later. He also had episodes of blurred vision in the right eye. The blood test showed a mildly elevated C-reactive protein of 29 mg/L and a normal erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) of 4 mm/hr. Optical coherence tomography showed anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy in the left eye and retinal ischemia in the right eye. Bilateral giant cell arteritis (GCA) was confirmed on temporal artery biopsy. He was treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy followed by prednisolone. He re-presented with intermittent blurry vision in the right eye three months later. He was treated with methylprednisolone pulse therapy again, followed by prednisolone, aspirin, and tocilizumab.

This case describes a patient who developed GCA post ChAdOx1 nCoV-19 vaccination with a normal ESR. Further studies are needed to investigate this relationship as causal or incidental and the likelihood of low-level inflammatory makers in such a situation.