Post-vaccination embolic and thrombotic events, termed vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT),[1][2][3][4][5]vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia (VIPIT),[6]thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (TTS),[7][4][5]vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT),[5] or vaccine-associated thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VATT),[5] are rare types of blood clotting syndromes that were initially observed in a number of people who had previously received the Oxford–AstraZeneca COVID‑19 vaccine (AZD1222)[a] during the COVID‑19 pandemic.[6][12] It was subsequently also described in the Janssen COVID‑19 vaccine (Johnson & Johnson), leading to the suspension of its use until its safety had been reassessed.[13] On 5 May 2022 the FDA posted a bulletin limiting the use of the Janssen Vaccine to very specific cases due to further reassessment of the risks of TTS, although the FDA also stated in the same bulletin that the benefits of the vaccine outweigh the risks.[14]
In April 2021, AstraZeneca and the European Medicines Agency (EMA) updated their information for healthcare professionals about AZD1222, saying it is "considered plausible" that there is a causal relationship between the vaccination and the occurrence of thrombosis in combination with thrombocytopenia and that, "although such adverse reactions are very rare, they exceeded what would be expected in the general population".[12][15][16][17] AstraZeneca initially denied the link, saying "we do not accept that TTS is caused by the vaccine at a generic level". However, in legal documents filed in February 2024, AstraZeneca finally admitted its vaccine 'can, in very rare cases, cause TTS'.[18][19]
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^ abKlok FA, Pai M, Huisman MV, Makris M (November 2021). "Vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia". The Lancet. Haematology. 9 (1): e73–e80. doi:10.1016/S2352-3026(21)00306-9. PMC8585488. PMID34774202. Although initially several terms were used to describe the syndrome … the term that has gained widespread use is vaccine-induced immune thrombotic thrombocytopenia (VITT). Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome has also been used, but it is a more general term that can be caused by other conditions
^ abcdWarkentin TE, Pai M (October 2021). "Editorial on Thaler et al. long-term follow-up after successful treatment of vaccine-induced prothrombotic immune thrombocytopenia. Thromb Res 2021 in press". Thrombosis Research. 207: 158–160. doi:10.1016/j.thromres.2021.10.007. PMID34757250. S2CID239574011. We believe the name "VITT" works well … the term clearly denotes the key features of the disorder … provides a useful mnemonic for disease recognition in the usual sequence of events … need not mandate that thrombosis be present … "TTS" … has limited clinical utility, since many conditions … present with the duad of thrombosis and thrombocytopenia
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