COVID-19mRNAワクチン接種後に発症した三叉神経第Ⅲ枝帯状疱疹の１例

herpes zoster

北海道歯学会

北海道歯学雑誌

Herpes zoster (HZ) is caused by reactivation of latent varicella zoster virus. Th e clinical symptom is a painful rash that develops on one side of the body. The rash is characterized by blisters and fully clears up within 2 to 4 weeks. The new severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2020. The disease, known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), led to the initiation of COVID-19 vaccinations in the same year. Recently, there has been an increase in HZ cases during the COV ID-19 pandemic. Some reports suggest that COVID-19 infection or vaccination may be associated with the development of HZ. The mechanism by which COVID-19 or the COVID-19 vaccine induces HZ is still unclear. However, i t has been hypothesized that COVID-19 infection or vaccination may cause lymphopenia and T-cell dysfunction, leading to immunodeficiency. An 81-year-old woman visited our department because of blisters on the right side of the third division of the trigeminal nerve. Her medical history included hypertension. Th e symptoms had appeared 4 days after receiving the fifth dose of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. The patient was diagno sed with HZ. Valacyclovir hydrochloride was administered, and the blisters disappeared after 1.5 months. Many cases of COVID-19 vaccine-related HZ on the trunk have been reported. However, COVID-19 vaccine-related HZ in the oral and maxillofacial region is rare. We report a case of HZ in the right area of the third division of the trigeminal nerve after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination.