No disproportionate reporting of inflammatory arthritis following COVID-19 vaccination: a pharmacovigilance study using Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) data
Authors' conclusion
Our findings demonstrate that there is no disproportionate reporting of inflammatory arthritis following COVID-19 vaccination compared to other vaccines, supporting the overall safety of COVID-19 vaccines.
Study context
- Population
- VAERS reports, December 2020 to December 2024valid reports
- Participants
- 651,850 reports
- Exposure
- COVID-19 vaccines vs all other vaccines in VAERS
- Outcome
- Disproportionate reporting of inflammatory arthritis (MedDRA-based query) as an adverse event after COVID-19 vaccination
Methodological detailsretrospective disproportionality analysis of VAERS data, disproportionality analysis (proportional reporting ratio (PRR), reporting odds ratio (ROR), Bayesian information component (IC)), stratified by age, sex and comparator vaccine
- Retrospective disproportionality analysis of VAERS data
- Disproportionality analysis (PRR, ROR, Bayesian IC)
- Stratified by age, sex and comparator vaccine
Main finding
As reported in the abstract
Disproportionate reporting of inflammatory arthritis after COVID-19 vaccination vs all other vaccines in VAERS (overall population)
PRR
0.999
95% CI 0.883 to 1.130
ROR
0.878
95% CI 0.777 to 0.994
IC
−0.008
95% CrI −0.046 to 0.030
Observational data: associations, not effects.
Further findings
Inflammatory arthritis events and crude reporting rate
- Events of inflammatory arthritis
- 5580
- CRR (cases per million doses administered)
- 13.8
- Female reports
- 72 %
- Median onset post-vaccination (days)
- 2
Disproportionality in age and sex subgroups
- Absence of signal confirmed across age and sex strata
Original publication
No disproportionate reporting of inflammatory arthritis following COVID-19 vaccination: a pharmacovigilance study using VAERS data. Semin Arthritis Rheum. Published 4 September 2025. doi:10.
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