Increased induction of de novo serum ANCA and ANCA-associated vasculitis after mass vaccination against SARS-CoV-2

Abstract

Different immune-mediated diseases have been described after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination, with antineutrophil cytoplasmic antibodies (ANCA)-associated vasculitis (AAV) being one of the possible side effects. In this study, a total of 35 patients presented ANCA for the first time during 2021, with the number during 2019 being 15. Twenty-seven out of thirty-five patients developed ANCA after vaccination. Two of them developed these antibodies after receiving the first dose (7.4%), and 25 patients developed ANCA after the second dose of the vaccine (92.6%), with BNT162b2 being the main vaccine received by these patients. In 97.1% of the patients who developed ANCA during 2021, the positivity of ANCA was accompanied by systemic involvement, with renal and respiratory tracts being the main organs affected. Therefore, an increase in the development of AAV has been observed during 2021 in comparison with 2019, which could be due to the administration of SARS-CoV-2 vaccine.