Korean J Dermatol.  2022 Nov;60(9):576-584.

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

• Yoon HJ
• Kwon MJ
• Hong EJ
• Eun YS
• Chung EH
• Kim JE
• Lee S
• Park YL
• Lee SH

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 the 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 corticosteroids 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 vaccination. 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.

Keyword

COVID-19; COVID-19 vaccines; Skin manifestations; Vaccination