Dear Editor, We would like to share ideas on ‘Herpes zoster
following BNT162b2 mRNA Covid-19 vaccination in patients with autoimmune
inflammatory rheumatic diseases: a case series’ [1]. Furer et al. concluded
‘Epidemiologic studies on the safety of the mRNA-based COVID-19 vaccines in
patients with AIIRD are needed to clarify the association between the BNT162b2 mRNA
vaccination and reactivation of zoster’ [1]. The adverse event following mRNA vaccination is
possible and emergence of ‘zoster’ skin lesion is sporadically
reported. The exact pathomechanism is unclear. If it is an immunopathological
problem, abnormal immunity should be identified. In addition, the case is mainly
diagnosed based on clinical appearance without dermatopathological investigation.
Given that zoster is a possible concurrent medical disorder in COVID-19 [2], ‘zoster’ lesion
might be only a co-incidence in anyone receiving mRNA vaccine. Clinically, zoster is
not an uncommon problem in patients with autoimmune inflammatory rheumatic diseases
[3]. The epidemiological
assessment cannot give a conclusion if there is no complete dermatopathological
study.Funding: No specific funding was received from any bodies in the
public, commercial or not-for-profit sectors to carry out the work described in this
article.Disclosure statement: The authors have declared no conflicts of
interest.
Data availability statement
No new data were generated or analysed for this article.