Medwave (Mar 2023)

Lipschütz acute vulvar ulcer related to COVID-19 vaccination: First case report in South America

  • Lucero Sangster-Carrasco,
  • Romario Paz-Temoche,
  • Julia Coronado-Arroyo,
  • Marcio Concepción-Zavaleta,
  • Pela Roseboom,
  • Luis Concepción-Urteaga,
  • Francisca Zavaleta-Gutiérrez

DOI
https://doi.org/10.5867/medwave.2023.02.2674
Journal volume & issue
Vol. 23, no. 02
pp. e2674 – e2674

Abstract

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Lipschütz ulcer is a non-sexually transmitted genital lesion of unknown etiology, which presents as a painful vulvar ulcer. Lipschütz ulcers have been described in most continents. This is the first case reported in Peru and South America. We present the case of a 33-year-old female patient with a Lipschütz ulcer after being vaccinated with the second dose of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine. She reported having had only one sexual partner in her lifetime. Laboratory results were negative for herpes simplex 2, Cytomegalovirus, Toxoplasma gondii, Epstein-Barr virus, and syphilis. The patient received symptomatic treatment. Ten days after the onset, the patient was significantly better during follow-up. This case report displays a potential adverse effect of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine as a Lipschütz ulcer triggered by the host humoral immune response. However, further research is needed to establish the causal relationship between these two.

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