Coronavirus disease 2019‐associated immunoglobulin A vasculitis/Henoch–Schönlein purpura: A case report and review

Immunoglobulin A (IgA) vasculitis or Henoch–Schönlein purpura is a predominantly pediatric disease occurring after a triggering viral or bacterial infection. Conversely, drug exposure is the most common inciting event in adult cases of IgA vasculitis. Recently, data has suggested a temporal association between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) and the development of IgA vasculitis in children and adults. Here, we describe a case of IgA vasculitis with nephritis in a 70‐year‐old man with COVID‐19 and perform a comprehensive review of eight reported cases of suspected COVID‐19‐associated IgA vasculitis. When compared to classical IgA vasculitis, COVID‐19‐associated IgA vasculitis exclusively affects males ( p  < 0.00002) and is more common in adults ( p  < 0.005). Among cases of COVID‐19‐associated IgA vasculitis, adult cases were associated with significantly more arthralgia than pediatric cases ( p  = 0.04). In cases where skin biopsy was obtained, direct immunofluorescence (DIF) was negative for IgA in 50% of cases; thereafter, kidney biopsy DIF was positive for IgA in all cases. With this study, we provide support for an association between IgA vasculitis and severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and provide clinical information differentiating its manifestations from classical IgA vasculitis.