Abstract
The newly developed COVID-19 vaccines have established a safe profile, yet some individuals experience a wide range of adverse events. Recently, reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) has been observed after administration of different COVID-19 vaccines, although causality remains a matter of debate. The aim of this systematic review was to examine the available literature and provide an overview of reported cases of VZV reactivation following COVID-19 vaccination. We identified 12 eligible articles which included 91 patients with herpes zoster (HZ) following COVID-19 vaccination. Hypertension was the main comorbidity present in 18% of patients (16/91). Additionally, 13% of patients (12/91) had an autoimmune condition with rheumatoid arthritis being the most common (4/12). Moreover, 10% of patients (9/91) were receiving immunosuppressants. The dermatomal distribution of skin lesions varied among patients, with the mammary region being most affected. On average, symptoms developed 5.8 days post-vaccination irrespective of dose and treatment with oral valacyclovir as a monotherapy was employed in most patients (23/91). HZ is possibly a condition clinicians may expect to encounter in patients receiving COVID-19 vaccines. While causality has not yet been established increased awareness and early recognition of the disorder would be crucial for the optimal management of these patients.
Highlights
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern towards an atypical viral pneumonia outbreak first described in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China
Quality Assessment The studies were evaluated using the criteria established by the Task Force for Reporting Adverse Events of the International Society for Pharmacoepidemiology (ISPE) and the International Society of Pharmacovigilance (ISoP) [18]
In the current systematic review, we examined the potential association between COVID-19 vaccination and herpes zoster (HZ) reactivation
Summary
In March 2020, the World Health Organization (WHO) declared a public health emergency of international concern towards an atypical viral pneumonia outbreak first described in Wuhan, Hubei Province of China. 4 billion vaccine doses have been administered worldwide with overall effectiveness against severe infection varying from 70–95% [5,6,7,8]. Contrary to vaccines such that by AstraZeneca-Oxford University and Janssen, which employ an adenovirus to deliver the viral genome for the expression of the SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein, the mRNA vaccines of Moderna and BioNTech–Pfizer provides a novel sequence-optimised mRNA that relies on lipid nanoparticles for delivery [9]. Less frequently observed adverse reactions include dermatological complications, such as lime maculopapular eruptions, morbilliform rashes, urticaria, chickenpox-like lesions and the more recently reported reactivation of varicella zoster virus (VZV) [13,14]. The aim of this systematic review was to comprehensively examine the currently available literature and provide an overview of the reported cases of VZV reactivation following vaccination against COVID-19
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
