STM Article Repository

Whether autoimmune or rheumatic disease can be precipitated after vaccination is controversial. Only epidemiological studies or clinical trials with an extremely large sample size can allow for a consistent assessment of the relative risk of vaccine-related incidence. Studies with such large sample sizes are complex, difficult to perform, and costly, which limit their administration. There exists no minimum criteria for diagnosing vaccine-related autoimmune diseases, this question must be analyzed on a case-by-case basis.

Although our report does not prove a causal association between vaccination and vasculitis, it seems possible that in rare cases, vaccination might induce vasculitic disease. While the possibility of autoimmune disease is very real, without vaccinations the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic will spread unchecked, bringing with it a slew of multisystem disorders, including autoimmune diseases both in the present and future (Table 1, Figures 1, 2).