COVID-19 vaccination, dengue hepatitis, and recurrent unilateral anterior uveitis

COVID-19 vaccination, dengue hepatitis, and recurrent unilateral anterior uveitis

Blog Article

A 36-year-old Asian Indian male presented with redness and pain in his right eye of 1 week duration.He was diagnosed to have right acute anterior uveitis and had a history of being admitted at a local hospital for dengue hepatitis a month earlier.He had been on adalimumab 40 mg three weekly once silbrade and oral methotrexate 20 mg/week for human leucocyte antigen (HLA) B27 spondyloarthropathy and recurrent anterior uveitis.Our patient had re-activation of his anterior chamber inflammation on three distinct occasions: first, 3 weeks following recovery from coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), the second after the second dose of COVID-19 vaccination, and the third after recovery from dengue fever-associated hepatitis.We propose molecular mimicry and bystander activation as the postulated mechanisms for the re-activation of his anterior uveitis.

In conclusion, patients with auto-immune diseases can have recurrent ocular inflammation following COVID-19 or its vaccination or dengue fever as seen in our patient.The anterior uveitis is usually mild swan river daisy seeds and responds to topical steroids.Additional immuno-suppression may not be needed.Mild ocular inflammation following vaccination should not deter individuals from getting COVID-19 vaccination.