"Abstract
Objective: To review the literature on associations between COVID-19 vaccination and autoimmunity, focusing on six conditions: Graves' disease, Hashimoto's thyroiditis, multiple sclerosis, rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, and type 1 diabetes mellitus.
Methods: We conducted a scoping review of 109 studies published in 2022, retrieved from PubMed and the WHO COVID-19 databases. Inclusion criteria encompassed English-language articles reporting empirically verifiable clinical manifestations of autoimmune disease associated with any COVID-19 vaccine, without restrictions by population, geography, or study type.
Results: Across 109 included studies, relapses or flares in patients with autoimmune disorders were reported in nearly 60% of studies, while about one-quarter described new-onset autoimmune disorders in persons without prior autoimmunity. Several mechanisms of action linking COVID-19 vaccination and autoimmune disorders were reported, such as autoimmune inflammatory syndrome induced by adjuvants, molecular mimicry, bystander immune activation, and interactions with immunosuppressive and disease modifying therapies. Serious adverse events, though less common than mild or moderate ones, were also reported. General and population-specific vaccine efficacy were claimed but empirical support was often lacking.
Conclusions: This review highlights the substantial patterns of reported associations of autoimmune disorders following COVID-19 vaccination, in patients with and without prior autoimmunity. The general and population-specific benefits of vaccination are claimed, but evidence for them is lacking. A proper evaluation of risks and benefits is needed to support vaccination recommendations given the reported associations between it and autoimmune disorders."
© 2025 the Author(s), licensee AIMS Press.
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