Blood Clots Related to AstraZeneca/Oxford COVID-19 Vaccine Can Be Treated With Early Detection

New research highlights the need for increased awareness and early testing for patients with signs of clotting disorder after vaccination.

New research has found that early testing for blood clots in patients who received the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine resulted in them being treated successfully, highlighting the need for increased risk awareness among physicians.

The work, led by researchers from the RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences and the National Coagulation Center at St James’s Hospital, is published in the British Journal of Haematology.

Unusual blood clots with a low platelet count have been recognized as a very rare complication of the AstraZeneca vaccine. However, with heightened awareness, patients may not have all of these symptoms when they first report to medical services.

The researchers highlighted four patients with vaccine-induced coagulation complications (Vaccine Induced Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia, VITT). Based on current guidelines, any patient could have been classified as a low-risk patient for this syndrome when they presented to physicians, but due to the increased awareness and clinical vigilance of the involved medical teams, all were sent early for tested, diagnosed and successfully treated.

dr. Michelle Lavin is the lead author of the paper and a researcher at the Irish Center for Vascular Biology and the RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Sciences. Credit: RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences

“The risk of developing a blood clot from the vaccine is still much lower than the risk of developing a blood clot from Covid-19, but it is imperative that clinicians be vigilant in detecting symptoms in vaccinated patients,” says dr. Michelle Lavin, the leader. author of the article and researcher at the Irish Center for Vascular Biology and the RCSI School of Pharmacy and Biomolecular Science.

“Our research has shown that current guidelines lack the sensitivity to detect early cases of vaccine-induced clotting, which could put us at risk of missing or delaying diagnoses. As our understanding of this new condition evolves, it could increasing our clinical awareness improves patient outcomes through early testing and treatment.”

Reference: “Vaccine-Induced Immune Thrombotic Thrombocytopenia (VITT) – A Novel Clinicopathological Entity with Heterogeneous Clinical Presentations” by Michelle Lavin, Patrick T. Elder, Denis O’Keeffe, Helen Enright, Eileen Ryan, Anna Kelly, Ezzat El Hassadi, Feargal P. McNicholl, Gary Benson, Giao N. Le, Mary Byrne, Kevin Ryan, Niamh M. O’Connell, and James S. O’Donnell, June 22, 2021, British Journal of Haematology.
DOI: 10.1111 / bjh.17613

This work is part of the Irish COVID-19 Vasculopathy Study (ICVS), supported by a Health Research Board COVID-19 Rapid Response award and also by a philanthropic grant from the 3M Foundation to RCSI University of Medicine and Health Sciences to support COVID-19 research. The work was carried out in hospitals in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland.