Mumbai, May 16: Amid the growing concerns that AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines cause rare blood clotting side effects called TTS, researchers have now claimed to have found another rare fatal blood clotting disorder. Scientists have found that the British-Swedish pharma giant AstraZeneca's COVID-19 vaccines raise the risk of vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT).

What is VITT?

So, what is VIIT? In simple terms, vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis or VITT, is a rare but fatal blood clotting disorder. Although it's not new, VITT has reportedly emerged as a new disease following AstraZeneca's introduction of COVID-19 vaccines during the peak of the coronavirus pandemic in 2021. Covishield by AstraZeneca or Bharat Biotech's Covaxin, Which COVID-19 Vaccine You Have Taken? Here's How to Check Name of Coronavirus Vaccine Administered to You.

What Did Researchers Find?

It must be noted that AstraZeneca made the COVID-19 vaccines in collaboration with Oxford University. AstraZeneca sells its COVID-19 vaccine as Covishield in India and Vaxzevria in Europe. So, how did researchers find VITT in AstraZeneca vaccines? Scientists said that "an unusually dangerous blood autoantibody directed against a protein termed platelet factor 4 (or PF4)" was the reason for VITT.

In 2023, scientists from several countries described a virtually identical disorder with the same PF4 antibody that was fatal in some cases after a natural adenovirus (common cold) infection. Notably, researchers at Flinders University in Australia learned that the PF4 antibodies in adenoviruses infection-associated VITT and classic adenoviral vector VITT share identical molecular fingerprints or signatures.

AstraZeneca Admits to TTS Side Affect

The new finding has been published in the New England Journal of Medicine. Professor Tom Gordon, who was part of the research team at Flinders, said that the "pathways of lethal antibody production in these disorders must be virtually identical and have similar genetic risk factors". The study also stated that the findings give important implications for improving vaccine safety. Covishield Linked to Another Rare Fatal Blood Clotting Disorder: Researchers Claim AstraZeneca's COVID-19 Vaccine May Cause VITT After Company's TTS Side Effect Admission.

Arguably, the new findings come days after AstraZeneca submitted a legal document to the UK High Court and admitted that its COVID-19 vaccine could cause Thrombotic Thrombocytopenic Syndrome (TTS) in rare cases. TTS is a rare condition that can cause blood clots, and a low blood platelet count in people. The rare side effect has also been linked to the death of at least 81 people in the United Kingdom.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on May 16, 2024 01:40 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).