Key result
BNT162b2 booster linked to isolated left pleural effusion that resolves within ~7 days on paracetamol.
Why the study?
To inform health professionals about the possibility of rare adverse events such as unilateral pleural effusion as individuals increasingly receive additional COVID-19 vaccine doses.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Clinicians evaluating acute pleuritic chest pain after BNT162b2 mRNA booster vaccination should consider isolated unilateral pleural effusion in the differential diagnosis, even in the absence of myocarditis, pericarditis, or viral infection.
Consider isolated pleural effusion in post-booster pleuritic pain; single case leaves causality open.
Vaccination remains the best strategy against coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in terms of prevention. The efficacy and safety of COVID-19 vaccines is supported by well-designed clinical trials that recruited many participants. It is well-known that vaccination is associated with local side effects related to the injection site, and mild, systemic side effects. However, there has been an increase in the occurrence of what is known as infrequent adverse effects in the population of vaccinated individuals in real life. We present the case of a 46-year-old woman with no past medical history, who presented with a sharp chest pain with deep inspiration, a few days after receiving the third dose of the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (BNT162b2). There is an association between the BNT16b2 vaccination and myocarditis, pericarditis, and even bilateral pleural effusions. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first report featuring a unilateral pleural effusion in a patient with no known past medical history, who did not develop cardiac involvement nor have any viral infection. The aim of our report is to inform health professionals of the possibility of encountering this rare adverse event in their daily practice, as the population of individuals who are receiving additional vaccine doses is increasing steadily.
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Athanasiou et al. (2023) conducted a case report in Unilateral pleural effusion and acute pleuritic chest pain post-BNT162b2 mRNA vaccination (n=1). BNT162b2 COVID-19 mRNA vaccine (third dose) was evaluated on Resolution of unilateral pleural effusion and pleuritic chest pain. BNT162b2 third dose vaccination was associated with an isolated unilateral left pleural effusion without cardiac involvement in a 46-year-old woman, which completely resolved within 7 days on paracetamol.
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