Yonsei Med J.  2022 Oct;63(10):966-970. 10.3349/ymj.2022.0038.

Ipsilateral Radial Neuropathy after COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination in an Immunocompetent Young Man

• Lee SM
• Hong JY
• Kim SY
• Na SJ

• KMID: 2533399
• DOI: http://doi.org/10.3349/ymj.2022.0038

Abstract

The global coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic spurred an urgent need for vaccination and herd immunity. Recently, mRNA vaccines for COVID-19 have been used widely despite reports of several adverse events. Most adverse effects are mild, although a few are associated with neurological complications. Unfortunately, there is a scarcity of information on peripheral nerve complications after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. We report the case of an immunocompetent young male patient who suffered from ipsilateral wrist drop with multiple lymphadenopathy in the cervical and axillary region after Pfizer–BioNTech vaccination. He experienced unilateral wrist drop, which significantly improved with corticosteroid treatment. Based on knowledge of this adverse effect, careful surveillance and increased awareness are needed for early diagnosis. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first reported case in the English literature of radial neuropathy resulting in wrist drop in a recently vaccinated and young immunocompetent patient.

Keyword

COVID-19; vaccination; lymphadenopathy; BNT162b2 vaccine; radial neuropathy