At least 36 people may have developed a rare blood disorder known as immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) after taking Pfizer and BioNTech or Moderna’s COVID-19 vaccines, according to a report.
The condition develops when the immune system attacks platelets, a blood component that is essential for clotting, or the cells that create it, for unknown reasons.
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According to The New York Times, the cases were reported to VAERS, the vaccination disorder reporting system, at the end of January. However, the system relies on individuals to submit reports of their experiences to the CDC and FDA, and does not indicate whether vaccines caused the problems.
More than 43 million doses of COVID-19 vaccine have been administered in the United States, with more than 32 million Americans receiving at least one dose, according to the latest data Tuesday from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. No cases of thrombocytopenia were reported during the trials of the Moderna or Pfizer vaccines.
A Pfizer spokesman told FOX News he was “aware of cases of thrombocytopenia in recipients of our COVID-19 vaccine” and takes reports of adverse events “very seriously.”
“We are gathering relevant information to share with the FDA. At this time, we have not yet been able to establish a causal link with our vaccine,” the spokesman added. “To date, millions of people have been vaccinated and we are closely monitoring all side effects in individuals receiving our vaccine. Serious side effects, including non-vaccine-related deaths, will unfortunately occur at a similar rate as in the general population. ‘
Pfizer noted that the 36 reports did not necessarily mean that 36 separate and individual patients developed thrombocytopenia after receiving the vaccine, citing the possibility of dual enrollments submitted to the VAERS system.
Representatives of Moderna, the Food and Drug Administration and the CDC did not immediately return FOX News’ requests for comment.
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One of the individuals affected by the condition was dr. Gregory Smith, a 56-year-old Miami Beach obstetrician whose symptoms appeared three days after receiving the December 18 Pfizer BioNTech vaccine.
Smith’s wife, Heidi Neckelmann, revealed in a Facebook post that he entered the emergency room with a platelet count of zero and that he was immediately admitted to the intensive care unit with a diagnosis of ‘acute ITP caused by a response to the COVID vaccine. “
Immune thrombocytopenia is usually treated by platelet transfusions, with steroids and immune globulins – a treatment designed to prevent the spleen from destroying platelets. However, Neckelmann said the treatments could not restore Smith’s platelet levels, and after two weeks in the hospital, he died of a brain haemorrhage.
“He was a very healthy 56-year-old, loved by everyone in the community, gave birth to hundreds of healthy babies and worked tirelessly through the pandemic,” Neckelman added. “He was a lawyer for the vaccine and that’s why he got it himself. I believe people should be aware that side effects can occur. [sic], that it is not good for everyone and in this case destroyed a beautiful life, a perfect family, and affected so many people in the community. Do not let his death be in vain, please save more lives by making this information news. ‘
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Meanwhile, the Times reported that 72-year-old Luz Legaspi was admitted to the hospital in New York City on January 19 after waking up with bruises on her arms and legs and blisters bleeding in her mouth, just one day after she received her first dose of Moderna. Covid19 vaccine.
At the time, Legaspi’s platelet count was zero, and doctors apparently ordered her not to leave her bed for more than a week, saying she was afraid of a bruise, bruise, fall or other minor injury to a similar bleeding can result and be fatal.
Legaspi reportedly received the platelet treatments, but showed no signs of improvement after ten days in hospital.
“I do not think she understands that she is like a ticking bomb,” Legaspi’s daughter, who did not disclose her name at the request of her employer, told her mother on the ninth day in hospital Times said. “I do not use the term. I do not want to tell her.”
It is understood that dr. James Bussel, a pediatrician and expert in immune thrombocytopenia, heard about her condition and on January 28 called a doctor from Legaspi and offered to consult about her care.
Within two days, the number of platelets from Legaspi was more than 70,000 and she was able to return home the next day, February 2.
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Bussel and his colleague Dr. Eun-Ju Lee recently studied 15 cases of thrombocytopenia that developed after people received COVID-19 vaccines.
The article, which was submitted to a medical journal and is currently being reviewed for publication, provides information on treatments and urges doctors to report cases according to the Times. In addition, the study reportedly noted that it is too early to determine whether the affected patients will have lasting recovery or recurrences of the platelet problem.
Bussel told the Times that it is possible that there is a link between the condition and vaccines, but that it is not clear exactly what the link could be.
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A 2010 study published in the American Journal of Hematology found that 3.3 per 100,000 adults are diagnosed with ITP per year. The prevalence of ITP in adults is approximately 9.5 cases per 100,000.
According to the Society for Platelet Disorder, approximately 50,000 people in the United States currently support and manage ITP successfully, and most cases are persistent (lasting six to twelve months) or chronic (lasting more than a year). Immune thrombocytopenia sometimes follows a viral disease, such as COVID-19.
Health experts from the American Society for Hematology, including dr. Bussel, recommends that ITP patients consult their hematologists before becoming innocent with COVID-19 vaccines.
More than 27 million Americans have been infected and more than 467,000 Americans have been killed by COVID-19 since the pandemic began in March, according to Johns Hopkins University.