Covid /Flu Jabs

[JAC1947]

I have recently been diagnosed after being misdiagnosed for rotator cuff! It seems odd this started after Covid/Flu jabs and my Doctor also said she had heard of this, depending how high up the arm the jabs were given. I do not think I will have any more jabs whilst having PMR. Could be coincidence but….!??

[PMRpro Ambassador]

Something triggers the immune system to go haywire - but there is no single cause and it is considered to be an accumulation of such triggers over a lifetime until one is the straw that breaks the camel's back. It may be the flu jab - that was known - or the shingles or Covid. Or it might be the flu, shingles or Covid itself (very common). Or another illness, an accident, environmental or chemical influences, or medication. The vast majority of patients who developed PMR hadn't had a Covid jab, many hadn't had flu or shingles jabs - I hadn't. I still got PMR.

It might well have been the Covid or the flu jab. I had a flare of PMR after the second jab but i had all the rest. I hate to think what Covid might have done and I've had proper flu once - never want that again!

[DorsetLady PMRGCAuk volunteer]

Many posts in the subject-see related posts and there is a raft of covid info in FAQs

[HeronNS]

I did get one of the many vaccines I had between 2021 and 2022 too high on the arm, I can't remember whether it was Pfizer or Shingrix, but it did bother me a lot and I had an impressive longlasting bruise. Have had shoulder problems the past couple of years anyway, which I believed were referred pain from arthritic neck, but increased pred solved that, and with ongoing physio and doing my exercises it's been fine for the past few months. So who knows? I should say that for me neck and shoulder problems were high on the list of symptoms of both undiagnosed and undertreated PMR.

[Gary1310]

I am convinced my PMR was triggered by my Senior Dose Flu Vaccine. As a result I decided to skip any Covid Vaccine. I think that might be a win.