Over a week after AstraZeneca announced the global withdrawal of its coronavirus vaccine, citing a decrease in sales, new research has linked it to a rare disorder.
Researchers discovered that the AstraZeneca vaccine is connected to Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia
Researchers discovered that the AstraZeneca vaccine is connected to Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombocytopenia and Thrombosis (VITT).
According to experts from Flinders University in Australia, who just published their findings in the New England Journal of Medicine, VITT emerged in 2021 during the COVID-19 pandemic, notably after the use of the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine, which is based on adenovirus vectors.
Researchers revealed that VITT is caused by a damaging blood autoantibody that targets a protein called platelet factor 4 (PF4). Separate research in 2023 discovered a comparable, sometimes fatal disorder linked to natural adenovirus infections, such as the common cold, involving the same PF4 antibody.
An autoantibody is an antibody produced by the immune system that mistakenly targets and assaults the body’s own tissues, believing them to be foreign invaders. This can develop into autoimmune illnesses, in which the immune system attacks healthy cells and tissues.
Affected patients frequently develop blood clots in odd locations, such as the brain or belly. They also have elevated amounts of D-dimer in their blood.
In 2022, Flinders University researchers Dr Jing Jing Wang and Professor Tom Gordon identified a genetic risk factor related to the PF4 antibody
Their recent collaboration with international researchers revealed that PF4 antibodies in vaccine-related VITT and natural adenovirus infections have identical molecular signatures.
Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) develops after 4 to 42 days of receiving the COVID vaccination
This new study, which employs a novel approach developed at Flinders University, demonstrates that a common component found in viruses and vaccines triggers these dangerous antibodies.
The study reveals that the mechanisms of antibody generation in these illnesses are nearly identical and share similar genetic risk factors.
Professor Gordon noted that the discoveries have important clinical consequences. The lessons learned from VITT can be applied to rare incidences of blood clotting after natural adenovirus infections and can help improve vaccine safety.
According to the American Society of Hematology, vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT) develops after 4 to 42 days of receiving the Covid vaccination. Therefore, there is no need to be concerned. Symptoms may include a strong headache, visual disturbances, abdominal discomfort, nausea and vomiting, back pain, shortness of breath, limb pain or swelling, and easy bruising or bleeding.