Pityriasis Rosea Induced by COVID-19 Vaccination

Elina Khattab; Eirini Christaki; Constantinos Pitsios

doi:10.12890/2022_003164

Pityriasis Rosea Induced by COVID-19 Vaccination

Eur J Case Rep Intern Med. 2022 Feb 3;9(2):003164. doi: 10.12890/2022_003164. eCollection 2022.

Authors

Elina Khattab¹, Eirini Christaki², Constantinos Pitsios¹

Affiliations

¹ Medical School, University of Cyprus, Nicosia, Cyprus.
² Department of Internal Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, School of Health Sciences, University of Ioannina, Ioannina, Greece.

Abstract

It is increasingly recognized that SARS-CoV-2 infection and COVID-19 vaccines have been associated with skin disorders, including pityriasis rosea. It has been reported that pityriasis rosea has been triggered by several vaccines, as a rare side-effect. We present two cases of COVID-19 vaccine-induced pityriasis rosea. Skin lesions appeared in a 49-year-old female 8 days after the first dose of the BNT162b2 mRNA vaccine and in a 53-year-old male 7 days after the second dose of the same vaccine. The exanthem was self-limited in both patients over a period of a month.

Learning points: Physicians should be aware that pityriasis rosea is a rare side-effect of COVID-19 vaccination.Pityriasis rosea is self-limiting and no medical treatment is usually required.

Keywords: COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; pityriasis rosea; vaccination.