Just FYI. The 2022 influenza vaccine triggered my psoriatic arthritis to flare for at least 2 months. (Mine was specifically “Flublok” quadrivalent manufactured by Protein Sciences Corp.)
Caused medical appointments with sports medicine and physical therapy appointments due to multiple points of enthesitis.
I reported the adverse event to Vaccine Adverse Event to VAERS today, because I try to advocate for us.
Would be glad to learn more about other ways to advocate for those with chronic illness.
It’s really hard to say that the vaccine CAUSED a flare. It certainly appears to be correlated with the flare. The interesting thing is that clearly our immune systems are a bit wonky. The way that vaccines typically work is that they stimulate your immune system to produce antibodies to the virus. Do you know what else can happen when our immune systems are stimulated? Our joints, tendons and skin get attacked.
I’m sorry that you’re dealing with such a long flare. I don’t know what meds you’re on, but it may be time to reevaluate this with your rheumy.
Like @stoney says, getting actual hard proof as to vaccinations causing health issues is pretty difficult. And in a world of no conscience mis-information, it is even harder to know what to believe. In the fall of 2012 I had my annual flu shot. Ten days later I was struck with inverse psoriasis which led to PsA about 8 years later. Was psoriasis lurking in the background and the vaccine triggered it? Coincidence? I had no previous skin or joint issues at all. And, does it matter at this point? I still choose to get the flu vaccine. After a close friend received his latest Covid booster (4th jab) in July, he was quickly hit with Temporal Arteritis. In two days he went completely blind (both eyes) and will never regain his sight and no one wants to link it to the vaccine. Science has it’s limitations when history is unavailable to consider in the overall picture. What causes a flare? For me, any sort of stress, especially physical stress directly influences my well being. As previously mentioned somewhere, I had a mishap with a chainsaw 4 weeks ago today. Since then my whole body has sunk to a new low with pain where I haven’t had it before. And the wound is still healing and hurts. Any physical exercise like splitting and stacking firewood leaves me aching and sore. I haven’t had hand pain like this but now the stress of clutching the axe etc. is causing much shoulder, elbow and finger pain. I was supposed to get my second shingles vaccine but have delayed it now for over a year simply because I don’t want to deal with the likely flare that will occur. The first shingles shot hit me hard even though it is not a live vaccine. There you have it…a long bit of blathering with few answers!
No flu vaccine for the past 7 seven years since PsA developed suddenly has affected my PsA. And I’ve had the flu vaccine for years before that too. Do note the flu vaccine changes every year too. Neither did the pneumonia one nor all of the 4 or 5 Covid vaccines I’ve had.
However my PsA ignited very quickly following a bunion correction operation where a teeny plate and two screws were inserted into my foot. My immune system obviously didn’t like the metal. There is some science on that too despite the fact that titantium is supposed to be inert.
When I was 13 a strep throat gave me psoriasis for the first time. Very classic psoriasis stuff. Years later in my late 30’s a very badly fractured shoulder made my psoriasis disappear forever. My bunion operation happened when I was 54 and therefore so did my PsA. My psoriasis has never come back. That phenomen is called Reverse Keobner’s Syndrome. More usually psoriasis has a Keobner’s Syndrome where it gets worse with an event like a badly fractured shoulder. I was just lucky with my very badly fractured shoulder believe it or not. It has never been affected by PsA either.
Our immune systems are insane anyway which is why we develop psoriasis and indeed PsA. Silly trigger events adversely affect it and our immune system does this complete over reaction. Basically in my mind it’s a ‘stress’ reaction. Many of us find when we’re really sick with something else our PsA behaves too. Then when we’re better from that PsA comes back again.
There’s very little rhyme nor reason why I got PsA from a small bunion correction operation nor indeed why you had an adverse event to this year’s flu vaccine. All I can tell you is that my PsA hates operations but doesn’t mind vaccines. This far at least however that could also change too. Truly there is no definitives with our disease and each of us reacts weirdly regardless.
Same thing happened with me. The flu vaccine and the Covid vaccines both riled up my psa for about 2 months, especially each time I have taken Covid boosters. My rheumatologist said she isn’t surprised because vaccines tell our immune systems to wake up. Miserable right now. But it should pass. It has before.
Well, I have had 4 COVID vaxes, plus the new booster. A flu vax several months. It saved me from getting the flu from my boss while on a business trip a month ago. I got the latest COVID vax because my brother had COVID and I had been to see him on and off and in and out of the hospitals with him.
No reactions from my PSA, but it has been flaring for three months anyway. I have always gotten the flu vax as soon as it was available because my job used to take me into the schools all fall and winter.
Oh, if you heard the weird repeated triggers for one of my comorbidities (condition I’ve had 10+ years). Weird to you. A friend with asthma has the same triggers – but they trigger the friend’s asthma, not rheumatic disease.
Thankfully, the COVID Pfizer vaccine has not yet triggered even a temporary flare of my psoriatic arthritis. Nor had any previous vaccine (2-3 flu shots, pneumonia).