Wells syndrome secondary to influenza vaccination: A case report and review of the literature

Abstract

Vaccinations have been shown repeatedly to be extremely safe with low incidence of complications. Given the rarity, these adverse events, they must be reported and examined cautiously. This case report illustrates the first case of an adult presenting with Wells syndrome that developed soon after vaccination with the thiomersal, a common preservative, containing influenza vaccine. Wells syndrome, also known as eosinophilic cellulitis, is an uncommon dermatologic condition of unknown etiology. Lesions in patients with Wells syndrome (eosinophilic cellulitis) progress over a few days to become large indurated plaques with associated edema and erythema. Although the etiology of Wells syndrome remains unknown, certain precipitants have been described in the literature, including but not limited to parasitic infections, contact dermatitis, Churg-Strauss disease and various medications. This article describes a possible sensitivity to thiomersal, as well as describes other cases that have reported a similar sensitivity secondary to receiving thiomersal-containing vaccines.