A Case of Anti-glomerular Basement Membrane Disease after SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in a Woman Without Any Underlying Disease

In light of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was caused by an infection of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), vaccines for this virus were developed and used worldwide. Although the vaccines were effective, there have been rare cases demonstrating a correlation between the SARS-CoV-2 vaccination and the occurrence of autoimmune diseases. Here, we describe a case diagnosed with anti-glomerular basement membrane (anti-GBM) disease after the Pfizer–BioNTech mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. A 48-year-old woman visited the hospital for hemoptysis seven days after her first dose of Pfizer–BioNTech mRNA SARS-CoV-2 vaccination. Hematuria was observed in urinalysis, and blood tests showed positive c-ANCA and anti-GBM antibodies. Bronchoscopy showed hemorrhage in the right lung. The renal biopsy confirmed the diagnosis of anti-GBM disease. Intravenous methylprednisolone and plasmapheresis were started, and her symptoms improved. She was discharged and is under regular outpatient follow-up without recurrence of symptoms. It is not clear whether SARS-CoV-2 vaccination causes autoimmune diseases. Considering the global spread of COVID-19, further studies would be needed. KCI Citation Count: 0