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Reactive synovitis of the knee joint after COVID ‐19 vaccination: The first ultrastructural analysis of synovial fluid
Author(s) -
Vanaskova Eliska,
Kelbich Petr,
Novotny Tomas
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
international journal of rheumatic diseases
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.795
H-Index - 41
eISSN - 1756-185X
pISSN - 1756-1841
DOI - 10.1111/1756-185x.14411
Subject(s) - medicine , synovitis , synovial fluid , vaccination , adverse effect , joint effusion , arthritis , immunology , pathology , osteoarthritis , radiology , alternative medicine , magnetic resonance imaging
Abstract Background Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS‐CoV‐2) infection and the resulting coronavirus 2019 disease (COVID‐19) have spread all around the world since 2019 and have affected millions of people. The development of COVID‐19 vaccines helped to decelerate the spread of the virus. However, as in the case of vaccines against other infectious diseases, adverse events can also present with COVID‐19 vaccines. Case Presentation We report here a rare case of a 53‐year‐old man with knee‐joint synovitis, after the first dose of messenger RNA vaccine, with no fever and a negative COVID‐19 reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction test. During a clinical examination the suspicion of pyogenic arthritis was excluded by blood tests and by a complex joint effusion examination, including a microbiological and cytological‐energy analysis of the synovial fluid. The treatment received by our patient consisted of 3 doses of dexamethasone administered intravenously over a period of 3 days. All the symptoms improved after this therapy, and in the 3‐week follow‐up period we recorded full recovery with no consequences. Conclusion Case reports on patients undergoing COVID‐19 vaccination should be examined in order to detect rare and long‐term side‐effects. This is the first report to present the outcomes of an ultrastructural analysis of post‐vaccination synovitis.