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DOI: 10.1055/s-0045-1806776
Unprovoked Venous Thrombosis Following COVID-19 Vaccination: A Retrospective Analysis of the Role of mRNA Vaccines
Funding and Sponsorship The research was partly funded by the Qatar National Library.
Abstract
Background
Despite the effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines in combating the infection through neutralizing antibodies, several side effects have been documented. Vigilant drug safety surveillance has gathered reports on vaccine-induced adverse effects, mainly mild to moderate in severity. Rarely, severe adverse effects such as anaphylaxis, thrombosis, and thrombocytopenia have been observed. Among these, thrombosis emerged as a particularly concerning issue.
Objectives
This has prompted an investigation into the potential existence of a valid link between the vaccine and the occurrence of thrombosis.
Methods
This case series is aimed to assess clinical features of venous thrombosis after injection of two anti-COVID-19 vaccines: the Pfizer-bioNTech vaccine (BNT162b2) and the Moderna (mRNA-1273) vaccine.
Results
We summarized all the salient demographic and clinical features, vaccination details, laboratory investigations, and outcomes. The individual cases are highlighted in more detail. In this case series involving seven patients, we observed rare adverse effects of venous thromboembolism (VTE) following COVID-19 vaccinations of mRNA vaccines, including Pfizer-bioNTech and Moderna.
Conclusion
While our findings addressed the rare adverse effect of VTE postvaccination, it is crucial to recognize the overall benefits of these vaccines in combating the COVID-19 pandemic. The underlying mechanism behind thromboembolism due to mRNA vaccines remains uncertain, distinguishing these cases from those related to adenovirus-based vaccines. More studies will be needed to establish if any relation exists.
Authors' Contributions
A.M.M. and A.F. contributed to data collection and analysis, literature search, and writing the manuscript. M.A.A. contributed to data collection and analysis, and literature search. V.H. contributed to data collection and analysis, literature search, and writing. N.K.B. and M.S.A. contributed to data collection. A.A-K. and A-N.E. were involved in reviewing of the manuscript and mentoring.
Compliance with Ethical Principles
The Medical Research Committee approved the study (MRC approval and consent to participate), with reference number MRC-04–24–301.
Publication History
Article published online:
12 March 2025
© 2025. The Author(s). This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, permitting unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction so long as the original work is properly cited. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)
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