Skin Manifestations Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Multicenter Case Series Study in Korea

ABSTRACT

Background: During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, large-scale vaccinations have been performed worldwide without sufficient verification of safety profiles. So far, little is known about skin manifestations following COVID-19 vaccination in Korean patients. Objective: We investigated the epidemiological and clinical characteristics of patients who had skin manifestations following COVID-19 vaccination in Korea. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed me data of 123 patients that presented with skin manifestations within 1 month after COVID-19 vaccination from two tertiary referral hospitals in Korea. The types of COVID-19 vaccinations administered to the patients, demographics, comorbidities, and clinical course of the patients were obtained from the data. Statistical analyses of the extracted data were performed using Microsoft Excel. Results: Skin manifestations following COVID-19 vaccination were mostly observed in patients in their 40s (23.6%), according to our data. Urticarial eruption was the most common manifestation, followed by macular rash (17.1%) and papulosquamous eruption (17.1%). Notably, 70% of the patients showed delayed reactions. More than half of the patients showed a good prognosis, and their symptoms were relieved with conservative treatment, including corti-costeroids and antihistamines, even after additional vaccination. Conclusion: We statistically analyzed the prevalence and characteristics of skin manifestations after COVID-19 vaccination. Urticarial eruptions are the most common skin manifestations associated with the COVID-19 vacci¬nation. We believe that this real-world retrospective study will provide valuable information for doctors who treat patients with skin manifestations after COVID-19 vaccination by providing real-world experience in Korea. (Korean J Dermatol 2022;60(9)576~584). © 2022 Korean Dermatological Association. All rights reserved.