COVID-19 vaccine induced interstitial lung disease

Yoshifuji, Ayumi; Ishioka, Kota; Masuzawa, Yuya; Suda, Shuntaro; Murata, Saori; Uwamino, Yoshifumi; Fujino, Motoko; Miyahara, Hiromi; Hasegawa, Naoki; Ryuzaki, Munekazu; Hoshino, Haruhiko; Sekine, Kazuhiko

A 60-year-old man presented with dyspnea four days after the second dose of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccine. Imaging revealed extensive ground-glass opacification. Blood tests were notable for elevated KL-6 levels. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid analysis showed increased lymphocyte-dominant inflammatory cells and decreased CD4/CD8 ratio. These findings were consistent with the diagnosis of drug-induced interstitial lung disease (DIILD). To the best of our knowledge, this has never been reported in previous literature. Treatment with glucocorticoids relieved his symptoms. This paper highlights that although extremely rare, COVID-19 vaccine could cause DIILD, and early diagnosis and treatment are crucial to improve patient outcomes.