New research may explain why some individuals experience a rare and often fatal blood clotting disorder after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. In a recent study published Oct. 26 in the peer-reviewed journal Blood, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research and the British Heart Foundation, scientists from the University of Birmingham, United Kingdom identified a new mechanism of platelet activation in vaccine-induced immune thrombocytopenia and thrombosis (VITT).
VITT is a clinical syndrome associated with COVID-19 vaccines that is characterized by thrombosis, or blood clots, at uncommon sites and mild to severe thrombocytopenia. Thrombocytopenia occurs when blood platelets are too low, resulting in excessive bleeding. VITT is similar to heparin-induced thrombocytopenia (HIT) but without prior exposure to the popular anticoagulant drug.
