A Case of Autoimmune Hemolytic Anemia after the First Dose of COVID-19 mRNA-1273 Vaccine with Undetected Pernicious Anemia
Fnu Jaydev, Vinod Kumar, Jaikumar Khatri, Shobha Shahani, Sead G. Beganovic
Abstract
By this time, multiple vaccines have been approved to limit the spread of SARS-CoV-2 worldwide. These include new-generation vaccines that contain mRNA of the target organism. Some common side effects were identified and reported during phase 3 clinical trials of vaccination, but more rare adverse events were reported in the literature. One such concern is autoimmune conditions that SARS-CoV-2 viral antigens could have possibly incited. We are presenting here a case of a young female with no known autoimmune diseases, diagnosed with autoimmune hemolytic anemia about a week after receiving her first dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. We discuss the possible culprit for precipitation of autoimmune hemolytic anemia after the SARS-CoV-2 mRNA vaccine, which encodes virus spike protein. This case highlights the importance of being vigilant for identifying rare adverse events that could appear during mass vaccination.