SESSION TITLE: Using Imaging for Diagnosis Case Posters
SESSION TYPE: Case Report Posters
PRESENTED ON: 10/19/2022 12:45 pm - 01:45 pm
INTRODUCTION: The vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 or COVID-19 have been shown to be safe and effective at preventing severe disease and death. In a phase 3 trial the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine showed a 52% and 95% efficacy after the first and second doses, respectively (1). Side effects following vaccination are common but are typically mild and self limited (2). The most common side effects are headache, fever, fatigue, arthralgias and pain at the injection site (2). More severe and devastating side effects have been reported including cerebral venous thrombosis and myocarditis (3) (4). Here we report a case of unilateral diaphragmatic paralysis following the second dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine.
CASE PRESENTATION: The patient was a 56 year old female with a past medical history of reactive airways disease and hypertension who was seen in the pulmonology clinic shortly after receiving her second dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. After her second dose she developed burning shoulder pain, erythema and swelling that extended to the neck and axilla. She went to an urgent care and was advised to treat with ice and NSAIDs, she had a chest radiograph performed which was reported to be negative. Her symptoms persisted and she was sent to the emergency room, chest x-ray showed interval development of an elevated left hemidiaphragm. A CT Chest with inspiratory and expiratory films was performed and the left diaphragm was noted to be in the same location during inspiration and expiration consistent with diaphragmatic paralysis. PFT showed a reduction in her FVC, TLC and DLCO compared to 13 years prior.
DISCUSSION: Diaphragmatic paralysis is a well described clinical entity that is most often associated with cardiothoracic surgery where hypothermia and local ice slush application are thought to induce phrenic nerve injury (5). It has also been described as a complication of viral infections, including a recent report of unilateral diaphragm paralysis in a patient with acute COVID-19 infection (6). In a case series of 246 patients with amyotrophic neuralgia which can include diaphragm paralysis, 5 patients received a vaccine in the week before developing symptoms (8) Additionally, Crespo Burrilio et al recently described a case of amyotrophic neuralgia and unilateral diaphragm paralysis following administration of the Vaxzevri (AstraZeneca) COVID-19 vaccine (7). This case highlights a potential side effect of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine that has not been previously reported
CONCLUSIONS:
Reference #1: Polack FP, Thomas SJ, Kitchin N. Safety and efficacy of the BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. N Engl J Med. 2020;383:2603–2615.
Reference #2: Menni, C., Klaser, K., May, A., Polidori, L., Capdevila, J., Louca, P., Sudre, C. H., Nguyen, L. H., Drew, D. A., Merino, J., Hu, C., Selvachandran, S., Antonelli, M., Murray, B., Canas, L. S., Molteni, E., Graham, M. S., Modat, M., Joshi, A. D., Mangino, M., … Spector, T. D. (2021). Vaccine side-effects and SARS-CoV-2 infection after vaccination in users of the COVID Symptom Study app in the UK: a prospective observational study. The Lancet. Infectious diseases, 21(7), 939–949. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1473-3099(21)00224-3
Reference #3: Jaiswal V, Nepal G, Dijamco P, et al. Cerebral Venous Sinus Thrombosis Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Systematic Review. J Prim Care Community Health. 2022;13:21501319221074450. doi:10.1177/21501319221074450
DISCLOSURES: No relevant relationships by Jack Mann
No relevant relationships by John Prudenti