Psoriasis worsening related to COVID-19 vaccination: Report from a single-center

Abstract

Background: Recently, reports have described cases of the onset or exacerbation of psoriasis related to COVID-19 vaccination. In this study, we sought to describe the clinical features and evolutionary aspects of psoriasis exacerbation after COVID-19 vaccination. Materials and Methods: This was a prospective and descriptive study conducted over a period of eighteen months at the Department of Dermatology and Venereology of the Mohammed VI University Hospital in Marrakech. We included all patients followed for psoriasis who received at least one dose of Sinopharm, AstraZeneca, or Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine. Results: A total of 148 patients were included in the study, among which 69 received a Sinopharm vaccine, 48 received an AstraZeneca vaccine, and 31 received a Pfizer vaccine. The mean age was 49 years. There were 82 males and 66 females, giving a sex ratio of 1.6. The comorbidities included hypertension in 27.7% of the cases, diabetes in 14.8%, dyslipidemia in 10.8%, and thyroiditis in 2%. Eight exacerbations of psoriasis after COVID-19 vaccination were noted. The mean duration of lesion development was 11.5 days. The vaccines involved were Sinopharm in 5 patients and AstraZeneca in 3 patients. The median PASI before vaccination was 7.8 and the median PASI after vaccination was 20.5. Three patients presented with severe erythematous lesions requiring hospitalization and the introduction of systemic therapy. Extension of the lesions to localized psoriasis was noted in five patients. Conclusion: COVID-19 vaccination may be a trigger for psoriasis, as suggested by multiple studies. However, these events should in no way contraindicate vaccination in patients with psoriasis. Key words: vaccination; COVID-19; psoriasis; exacerbation