Raynaud’s Phenomenon after COVID-19 Vaccination: Causative Association, Temporal Connection, or Mere Bystander?

Herein, we report a case of a new-onset Raynaud’s phenomenon (RP), which occurred in an otherwise healthy 31-year-old Caucasian woman, who lacked any known risk factors and associations with possible causes for secondary RP. However, 2 weeks prior to the development of RP, the patient had received her first injection of the COVID-19 vaccine containing ChAdOx1-SARS-COV-2. The patient presented with well-demarcated, white-pale, cold areas involving the middle fingers of both hands and the ring finger of the right hand, which were triggered by exposure to cold environment and accompanied by a sensation of numbness. Infrared thermography revealed notable temperature differences of up to 10.9°C between affected and nonaffected fingers. Coagulation and immunological parameters, including cryoglobulins and pathological autoantibodies, were within the normal range and antibodies to the heparin/platelet factor 4 complex not detectable. It remains unclear if the development of RP in our patient is causally related to antecedent COVID-19 vaccination; however, the temporal connection to the vaccination, the complete absence of RP in her past medical history, and the lack of any risk factors and triggers raise the suspicion of a yet unknown association with the vaccine. Whether a clear association between the development of RP and COVID-19 vaccination exists or whether RP represents a bystander effect needs to be awaited in case observational reports on RP accumulate. Given the steadily rising numbers of people receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, physicians may remain alert to still unrecognized side effects.

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• Location: Deutsche Nationalbibliothek Frankfurt am Main
• Extent: Online-Ressource
• Language: Englisch

References and Relationships

• Bibliographic citation: Raynaud’s Phenomenon after COVID-19 Vaccination: Causative Association, Temporal Connection, or Mere Bystander? ; volume:13 ; number:3 ; year:2021 ; pages:450-456 ; extent:7 ; Case reports in dermatology ; 13, Heft 3 (2021), 450-456 (gesamt 7)

Contributors, Places and Time

• Creator: Urban, Nikolaus ; Weber, Benedikt ; Deinsberger, Julia ; Gschwandtner, Michael ; Bauer, Wolfgang ; Handisurya, Alessandra

Further information

• DOI: 10.1159/000519147
• URN: urn:nbn:de:101:1-2022011300035081641239
• Rights: Open Access; Der Zugriff auf das Objekt ist unbeschränkt möglich.