Atopic Dermatitis Not a Risk Factor for COVID-19 Vaccine Side Effects

Atopic dermatitis was not a risk factor for developing side effects after receiving COVID-19 vaccinations, according to findings from a retrospective cohort study reviewed in a letter to the editor published in the Journal of the European Academy of Dermatology and Venereology.  

Investigators examined side effects after the first and second doses of the BNT162b2 and mRNA-1273 vaccines in adult patients with and without atopic dermatitis. They matched patients 4:1 with control participants for age, sex, and hypertension, and identified common side effects from the COVID-19 vaccines up to 30 days after vaccine administration using ICD-10 coding. Investigators used Poisson regression to analyze data and calculated adjusted odds ratio (aOR) for each vaccine type.

There were 5749 patients with atopic dermatitis and 22,996 control participants. The mean age was 59.1 years, 60.6% were women, 71.1% received the mRNA-1273 vaccine, and 28.9% received the BNT162b2 vaccine.

Patients with atopic dermatitis did not show an increased risk for immediate side effects following vaccination, such as fever, allergic urticaria, weakness, altered mental status, malaise, allergic reaction, chest pain myocarditis, axillary lymphadenopathy, and symptoms involving circulatory or respiratory systems.

The study was limited by the small sample size due to underreporting and underdiagnosis.

“Due to the reality of regular COVID-19 vaccinations, side effect profile in susceptible groups, such as patients with immune-driven conditions like atopic dermatitis, is a valuable and relevant area of research,” the letter’s authors wrote.

Disclosure: Several study authors declared affiliations with biotech, pharmaceutical, and/or device companies. Please see the original reference for a full list of authors’ disclosures.