Case report of transient polymyalgia rheumatica after receiving the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine

Abstract

Messenger ribonucleic acid-based vaccines that target severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 have shown high effectiveness. While these Coronavirus Disease 2019 vaccines have a favorable safety profile, there can be rare adverse drug reactions that should be understood. Here, we report the case of a 65-year old male who displayed polymyalgia rheumatica soon after receiving the first dose of the BNT162b2 messenger ribonucleic acid Coronavirus Disease vaccine. Symptoms such as high fever and severe general pain occurred 10 days after vaccination. After administering more than 30 mg/day prednisolone, those symptoms persisted and inflammation continued until 90 days after vaccination. However, those symptoms disappeared over time, following vaccination, and the patient finally achieved complete remission from polymyalgia rheumatica without any additional treatment.