Introduction
As of early September 2021, there are 24 COVID-19 vaccines approved for
SARS-CoV-2 prevention, while there are 140 other COVID-19 vaccine
candidates in different phases of clinical trials. Approved vaccines
have been granted emergency use authorization for the prevention of
COVID-19, the ongoing global health pandemic. Although the short term
and the common adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines are well documented,
the rare adverse effects are also more likely to be reported due to
widespread mass immunization programs. The long-term sequelae of
COVID-19 vaccines are yet to be witnessed in the future.
Vasculitis is the disorder characterized by the presence of mononuclear
cells in vessel walls of different organs with reactive damage to mural
structures. Antineutrophil cytoplasmic autoantibodies (ANCA) associated
vasculitis (AAV) is characterized by antibodies against antigens in
cytoplasmic granules of neutrophils and predominantly affects small
vessels. AAV is associated with ANCA specific for myeloperoxidase
(MPO-ANCA) or proteinase 3 (PR3-ANCA). AAV can lead to renal failure by
involving glomeruli. Although AAV after influenza vaccination has been
previously reported, there are a very few case reports of AAV following
COVID-19 vaccination (mRNA vaccines)(1,2). Here, we report a rare case
of AAV in a patient after Johnson & Johnson COVID-19 vaccine
administration.