An 80-year-old Japanese man with Behçet’s disease presented with a seven-day history of fever, cough, and progressive shortness of breath after receiving a second dose of the BNT16B2b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccine (Pfizer-BioNTech). The initial diagnosis was community-acquired pneumonia, and antibiotic treatment was started, but proved ineffective. Twenty days after onset, the platelet count was significantly decreased. We suspected vaccine-induced pneumonitis and thrombocytopenia. After administration of prednisolone and intravenous immunoglobulin, and platelet transfusions, the platelet count was normalized. The pneumonia signs improved three weeks after onset. We also summarize here previous cases of pneumonitis and thrombocytopenia associated with SARS-CoV-2 vaccination.
Thrombocytopenia and Pneumonitis Associated with BNT16B2b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccine: A Case Report (preprint)