Age: 75.0
Sex: F
Vaccine: COVID19
Symptoms: Pain in extremity, Peripheral swelling
Clinical narrative: arthritis; fingers on right were all swollen; she could barely move her arm; right hand and wrist was painful and swollen; right hand and wrist was painful and swollen; right hand and wrist was painful and swollen; right hand and wrist was painful and swollen; light headache; This is a spontaneous report from a contactable consumer, the patient.  A 75-year-old female patient received the first dose of BNT162B2 (PFIZER-BIONTECH COVID-19 MRNA VACCINE, Lot number EL3247), via an unspecified route of administration on 26Jan2021 at 10:40 (at the age of 75-years-old) as a single dose in the left arm for COVID-19 vaccination. Medical history included arthritis from an unknown date, renal cancer since 07Dec2020 and ongoing, atrial fibrillation since 2006 and ongoing,  partial nephrectomy on 06 Jan2021. She specified that she has an arthritis flare up about once a year and normally takes a Medrol dose pack.  The patient's historical vaccines included an unspecified flu vaccine (MANUFACTURER UNKNOWN) on an unspecified date about ten years ago after which she had to go to the Emergency Room for right arm redness, swelling at the injection site and face swelling on right side. She did not get another flu shot for 10 years but did get one this year in Nov2020. Concomitant medication included metoprolol (MANUFACTURER UNKNOWN), flecainide acetate (MANUFACTURER UNKNOWN), acetylsalicylic acid (ASPIRIN, MANUFACTURER UNKNOWN).  The patient did not receive any other vaccines within four weeks prior to the vaccination. The patient reports that she experienced a light headache. She clarified that she is in an unspecified program which includes an e-diary. As part of that program (app) she was sent a text every day for a week asking if she had any side effects; a couple times she had a headache.  On the eighth day (03Feb2021) she had a reaction where her right hand and wrist was painful and swollen. Caller states she couldn't move her hand without pain. Caller states she put ice on her hand Wednesday evening and this helped a little.  When ice was on her hand it helped with the pain but when it was removed it came back. She also reported fingers on right were all swollen and that she does have arthritis.  She further described the events as on Wednesday she started getting a little pain in her right wrist joint. She does have arthritis, but this pain was stronger, and her hand and fingers on right were all swollen in comparison to her other hand, and her knuckles seemed bigger. States that the pain got very strong and by the next morning she could barely move her arm; even though it was only her wrist that hurt, moving any part of her arm made her wrist her more, so she started icing it and took Tylenol for Arthritis 650mg Extended Release; she took it twice, one each time and reported that it probably didn't work. Caller clarifies statement about it probably not working; stating that she didn't notice a difference after taking the Tylenol.  She asked if these events, occurring eight days after the vaccine could be vaccine side effects or is this just a flare up on her arthritis that is unrelated to the vaccine. She added that she had been doing a lot of "chopping" while cooking on the night that this happened so that may have caused the flare up. She has a Medrol pack on hand for things like this (4mg tablets). She started it today and took two tablets before breakfast and one tablet at lunch. She states that it has already made a difference in her pain. She stated her concern, however, which is that she found that taking a steroid could affect the vaccine if taken before getting the vaccine, and right now she is in-between the two doses.  Her second dose is scheduled for 16Feb2021. She inquired as to if she can finish this dose pack without messing up the vaccine. The clinical outcome of headache was reported as recovered. The clinical outcomes of  hand swelling, wrist pain, hand pain and swelling of wrists were reported as not recovered. The clinical outcomes of arthritis flare up, swelling of fingers and could not move her arm were unknown.