Temporal association between COVID-19 vaccination and Raynaud’s phenomenon: A case series

Abstract

COVID-19 vaccine–related adverse events are mostly minor to moderate, and serious events are rare. Single cases of Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP) in temporal proximity to COVID-19 vaccination have been reported. Demographic data, medical history, and detailed information regarding vaccination status and RP characteristics were obtained from patients with confirmed RP after COVID-19 vaccination. Fifteen participants reported the initial manifestation of RP, which occurred in 40% after the first, in 33% after the second, and in 27% after the third vaccination. RP development and occurrence of episodes were not linked to any specific vaccine type. New onset of disease was observed in 40% of the vaccinees after BNT162b2, in 33% after mRNA-1273, and in 27% after ChAdOx1 vaccination. Three out of four participants with preexisting RP prior to COVID-19 vaccination reported aggravation in frequency and intensity after immunization. Although COVID-19 vaccination is pivotal in controlling the pandemic, the observed temporal association between vaccine administration and RP occurrence warrants global activities to support pharmacovigilance for the detection of adverse reactions, one of which may include RP.

Capillaroscopy in COVID-19

“…Lisy et al (2023) reported 19 cases of RF, of which 15 had a new onset of the syndrome after vaccination, with the initial manifestations of RF occurring after the first dose in 40% of cases, after the second in 33%, and after the third dose of the vaccine in 27%. Three out of four patients with prior RF reported worsening of symptom frequency and intensity [46].…”

“…There have been reports of pernions occurring with COVID-19, as well as cases of RF after experiencing infection [5,6,17,18,22,23,45]. and after vaccination against COVID-19 [46,47].…”

Special focus on the association between COVID-19 vaccination and Raynaud’s phenomenon in autoimmune disease

“…Second, we noticed in Lisy’s study, 1 that three out of four participants with preexisting RP before COVID-19 vaccination reported aggravation in frequency and intensity after immunization. The antinuclear antibodies status in these four participants could add significance to this study, although they reported that these participants had not suffered from concurrent autoimmune or connective tissue disease linked to RP.…”

“…We read Lisy’s paper 1 with great interest. In this paper, the author retrospectively analyzed a cohort study about the association between COVID-19 vaccination and Raynaud’s phenomenon(RP).…”