Spontaneous resolution of inflammatory myopathy involving the masseter muscle following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination

• Published in: Modern rheumatology case reports Vol. 8; no. 1; pp. 77 - 82
• Main Authors: Tada, Tomomi, Murao, Haruka, Shiratani, Reo, Park, JeongHoon, Hideshima, Makoto, Kanki, Hideaki, Ishikawa, Nachi, Shibahara, Takayuki, Fujimoto, Jun, Higa, Shinji
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England 29.12.2023
• Subjects: Aged, 80 and over; Autoantibodies; COVID-19 - diagnosis; COVID-19 - prevention & control; Female; Humans; Masseter Muscle; Muscular Diseases - diagnosis; Myositis - diagnosis; COVID-19 mRNA vaccination; localised myopathy; type-I interferon; BNT162b2; Inflammatory myopathy
• ISSN: 2472-5625; 2472-5625
• DOI: 10.1093/mrcr/rxad022

According to previous reports, most cases of inflammatory myopathy following messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination can be classified as idiopathic inflammatory myopathy, particularly dermatomyositis, owing to their similar clinical features and courses. However, some patients have different clinical features and courses. We report a rare case of transient inflammatory myopathy involving the masseter muscle following the third dose of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) mRNA vaccination. An 80-year-old woman presented with a history of fever and fatigue for 3 months soon after receiving the third COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. Her symptoms progressed to jaw pain and inability to open her mouth. She also experienced mild proximal muscle weakness in the lower limbs but no skin manifestations or daily difficulties. Fat-saturated T2-weighted magnetic resonance imaging showed bilateral high-intensity signals for the masseter and quadriceps muscles. The patient experienced spontaneous resolution of fever and improvement of symptoms 5 months after onset. The timing of the onset of symptoms, the lack of detectable autoantibodies, and the atypical presentation of myopathy in the masseter muscles, in addition to the spontaneous mild course of the disease, all indicate the substantial role of mRNA vaccination in this myopathy. Since then, the patient has been followed up for 4 months without any recurrence of symptoms or any additional treatment. It is important to recognise that the course of myopathy after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination could be different from that of typical idiopathic inflammatory myopathies.