A few COVID vaccine recipients developed a rare blood disorder

[hamsterjill]

I have a relative with IT (immune thrombocytopenia) and she is scheduled to get her vaccine next week. We will be watching for any symptoms and act accordingly.

This is obviously a small number of people affected, but knowledge is power and anyone with concerns about platelet counts might check with their doctor.


https://www.nytimes.com/2021/02/08/health/immune-thrombocytopenia-covid-vaccine-blood.html


From the article (with much more at the link provided):

“Hematologists with expertise in treating immune thrombocytopenia said they suspected that the vaccine did play a role. But they said that cases after vaccination were likely to be exceedingly rare, possibly the result of an unknown predisposition in some people to react to the vaccine by developing an immune response that destroys their platelets. The disorder has occurred, rarely, in people who received other inoculations, particularly the measles-mumps-rubella one.

“I think it is possible that there is an association,” Dr. James Bussel, a hematologist and professor emeritus at Weill Cornell Medicine who has written more than 300 scientific articles on the platelet disorder, said in an interview. “I’m assuming there’s something that made the people who developed thrombocytopenia susceptible, given what a tiny percentage of recipients they are.”

[no_hypocrisy]

1. Can this blood disorder be treated?

[mwooldri]

2. Short answer: yes.

Medicines, blood transfusions and even spleen removal can treat this disease.

https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/thrombocytopenia

[hamsterjill]

3. In some ways.

It’s an auto immune thing and I’m no expert.

In my family’s case, this person was an adolescent and the IT was discovered when she had bloodwork done for some minor surgery. Her counts were in the 20,000 range and her (fabulous) hemotologist opted to monitor her without any real treatment. She had to stay away from any aspirin products, etc. or anything that might be a blood thinner. She ultimately “recovered” over about a two year span. But this is something she has to always be aware of.

From this article, I am wondering if hers might have been brought on by an MMR booster,

Anyone concerned should check with a medical professional, of course.