Vaccine Thrombosis TTS

About Vaccine Thrombosis TTS

Thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome TTS was identified as a rare complication of adenoviral vector COVID vaccines Johnson and Johnson and AstraZeneca. TTS involves blood clots combined with low platelet counts. The mechanism is similar to heparin induced thrombocytopenia. TTS was reported at a few cases per million J and J doses and at a higher rate after AstraZeneca vaccination, particularly in younger adults. The condition is more common in women under 50. Several European countries restricted AstraZeneca to older adults. The US paused J and J vaccination for about 10 days in April 2021 to investigate. TTS was fatal in a substantial minority of reported cases. The FDA added warnings to the J and J vaccine label. The condition is treatable with intravenous immunoglobulin and non heparin anticoagulants. The identification of TTS demonstrated the effectiveness of vaccine safety monitoring systems in detecting extremely rare adverse events within months of vaccination.