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Findings that shed new light on the possible pathogenesis of a disease or an adverse effect
CASE REPORT
Leucocytoclastic vasculitis following influenza vaccination
  1. Sissi Cao1,
  2. Dongmei Sun2
  1. 1University of Western Ontario Schulich School of Medicine and Dentistry, London, Ontario, Canada
  2. 2Department of Internal Medicine, Western University, London, Ontario, Canada
  1. Correspondence to Dr Dongmei Sun, dongmei.sun{at}lhsc.on.ca, dongmeis{at}outlook.com

Summary

Background Influenza vaccinations are commonly administered and effectively prevent influenza. Most vaccine reactions are mild and self-limiting with few reported cases of vasculitis. We present a case of vasculitis post-vaccination unique for its dramatic visual presentation and rapid response to treatment with the aim to emphasise possible causation and timely treatment.

Case presentation This is a case of a 60-year-old man with chronic idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis, with fever, arthralgias and rash characterised by extensive erythematous plaques on his limbs and trunk 5 days after influenza vaccination. Skin biopsy revealed leucocytoclastic vasculitis. Rash and symptoms resolved 10 days after initiating treatment with oral prednisone.

Conclusions Influenza vaccines can potentially precipitate cutaneous vasculitis, and timely treatment reduces morbidity in the elderly.

  • Immunological Products And Vaccines
  • Vasculitis

https://doi.org/10.1136/bcr-2016-217755

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    Footnotes

    • Contributors All authors contributed to and agreed upon the content in this manuscript. Individual author contributions: SC acquired patient data and case information; also completed literature review, compiled and summarised other relevant case reports and drafted Table 1; drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content; gave final approval of the version to be published after several drafts; and agreed to act as guarantor of the work (ensuring that questions related to any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved). DS provided patient data and case information as well as interpretation of findings, revised the article critically for important intellectual content, gave final approval of the version to be published after several drafts and agreed to act as guarantor of the work (ensuring that questions related to any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved).

    • Competing interests None declared.

    • Patient consent Obtained.

    • Provenance and peer review Not commissioned; externally peer reviewed.