Rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases (R-IMIDs) involve inflammation that manifests in the joints, tendons, muscles, and bones due to an unknown cause.
A new study titled “Onset Rheumatic Immune-Mediated Inflammatory Diseases Following SARS-CoV-2 Vaccinations until May 2023: A Systematic Review” led by researchers from the National Health Service in the United Kingdom, has found that COVID-19 vaccines may trigger rheumatic immune-mediated inflammatory diseases, like arthritis, vasculitis, lupus, and adult-onset Still’s disease.
The study examined 271 participants from 190 case studies published worldwide. According to the study, on average, patients developed rheumatic diseases eleven days after vaccine administration. Seventy-five (over twenty-seven percent) of these patients experienced total disease remission, and about fifty percent improved following treatment. Eight were admitted to intensive care, and two died from their symptoms.
The authors wrote “The short time span between COVID-19 vaccine administration and the onset of R-IMIDs suggests the potential possibility of a cause-and-effect relationship.”
Following their first or second dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, more than 80% of the patients experienced symptoms, and the majority of them responded well to corticosteroids.
The Pfizer vaccine was administered to nearly 57% of the injured patients, the AstraZeneca vaccine to nearly 25% of the patients, and the Moderna vaccine to 12% of the patients who developed rheumatic diseases.