Vol 14 (2023): Continuous Publishing
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Published online: 2023-06-15

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Pulmonary embolism after anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in two female patients

Katarzyna Korzeniowska1, Artur Cieślewicz1, Katarzyna Grabańska-Martyńska2, Anna Flotyńska1, Anna Jabłecka1
Hematology in Clinical Practice 2023;14:18-23.

Abstract

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a coronavirus responsible for the ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. To protect people from severe COVID-19 course, vaccines have been recently developed. Vaccines’ safety was confirmed during clinical trials; however, massive vaccination action resulted in rare cases of adverse effects emerging, such as thromboses associated with thrombocytopenia. We present two cases of pulmonary embolism after anti-SARS-CoV-2 vaccines in two female patients, with negative history of SARS-CoV-2 infections. In both patients additional risk factors for thrombotic events (hormonal contraception, varicose veins) were present. Pulmonary embolism occurs when a blood vessel in the lungs becomes blocked by a blood clot. It is a very rare adverse effect associated with COVID-19 vaccines and is often accompanied by thrombocytopenia. However, recent studies have found that he incidence of pulmonary embolism after COVID-19 vaccines was not increased compared to the general population. Moreover, the risk of PE after vaccination is significantly lower than the incidence of thrombotic events during COVID-19.

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