Exacerbation of lupus panniculitis following anti-hepatitis-B vaccination.
Even though benefits of vaccination policies have been widely demonstrated, vaccine injections might be associated with rare side effects. In this setting, the potential role of vaccines, mostly against hepatitis B virus, in the induction of autoimmunity has been a matter of controversy. We report the case of a woman followed for a lupus panniculitis which had been in remission for 3 years, who developed a lupus flare following an anti-hepatitis-B vaccine injection. The topography of recurring lupus lesions, the chronology of the flare and the increase in the antinuclear autoantibody serum level all supported a causal role for vaccination in the relapse of the lupus lesions. We believe that the present case might provide a first observation of lupus panniculitis possibly induced by hepatitis B vaccination, and this should be added to the range of dysimmune manifestations caused by vaccinations.
Department of Dermatology, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire, Liège, Belgium.
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A
Choffray
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L
Pinquier
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H
Bachelez
D000368:Aged; D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear / Q000097:blood; D005260:Female; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006801:Humans; D015435:Panniculitis, Lupus Erythematosus / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000473:pathology; D012008:Recurrence; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology
D000974:Antibodies, Antinuclear; D017325:Hepatitis B Vaccines