Lin RT, Liu PK, Chang CW, Cheng KC, Chen KJ, Chang YC. Behcet's disease-related panuveitis following COVID-19 vaccination: A case report. World J Radiol 2024; 16(9): 460-465 [DOI: 10.4329/wjr.v16.i9.460]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Yo-Chen Chang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100 Zihyou 1st Road, San-Ming District, Kaohsiung 80737, Taiwan. ycchang@kmu.edu.tw
Research Domain of This Article
Ophthalmology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Rou-Ting Lin, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Chung Shan Medical University, Taichung 40201, Taiwan
Rou-Ting Lin, Chia-Wei Chang, Department of Clinical Education and Training, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
Pei-Kang Liu, Kai-Chun Cheng, Yo-Chen Chang, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 80737, Taiwan
Pei-Kang Liu, Kai-Chun Cheng, Yo-Chen Chang, Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Medical University Hospital, Kaohsiung 80756, Taiwan
Kuo-Jen Chen, Yo-Chen Chang, Department of Ophthalmology, Kaohsiung Municipal Siaogang Hospital, Kaohsiung Medical University, Kaohsiung 81201, Taiwan
Author contributions: Lin RT and Chang YC were the major contributor in writing the manuscript and reviewing the literature; Liu PK, Chang CW, Cheng KC, and Chen KJ created the figures and patient images; Chang YC was the chief physician of the patient. All authors revised the manuscript and approved the final version.
Informed consent statement: Informed written consent was obtained from the patient for the publication of this case report.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest for this paper.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Yo-Chen Chang, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Chief Physician, Department of Ophthalmology, School of Medicine, College of Medicine, Kaohsiung Medical University, No. 100 Zihyou 1st Road, San-Ming District, Kaohsiung 80737, Taiwan. ycchang@kmu.edu.tw
Received: May 25, 2024 Revised: August 15, 2024 Accepted: August 23, 2024 Published online: September 28, 2024 Processing time: 124 Days and 12.8 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Behcet's disease (BD) is an inflammatory disorder known for various symptoms, including oral and genital ulcers and ocular inflammation. Panuveitis, a severe eye condition, is rare as the first sign of BD.
CASE SUMMARY
We present an unusual case of a 30-year-old man who developed panuveitis after receiving the mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine (Moderna). Laboratory tests ruled out infections, but he had a positive HLA-B51 result and a history of genital ulcer and oral ulcers, leading to a BD diagnosis. Treatment with corticosteroids improved his condition. Interestingly, he had another episode of panuveitis after the second mRNA vaccine dose, which also responded to corticosteroids.
CONCLUSION
This case highlights the rare onset of BD following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination, suggesting a potential link between these vaccines and BD's eye symptoms, emphasizing the importance of quick treatment in similar cases.
Core Tip: This case report highlights a rare instance of panuveitis as the first manifestation of Behcet's disease in a 30-year-old man following mRNA-based coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination (Moderna). The patient developed recurrent uveitis after both doses of the vaccine. This case suggests a potential link between mRNA vaccines and ocular inflammation in genetically predisposed individuals, particularly those with HLA-B51. It underscores the importance of considering Behcet's disease in patients presenting with panuveitis post-vaccination and calls for further research to confirm this association and understand the underlying mechanisms.
