AZ and ?sticky blood?

[eurochick]

So booking has finally opened for my age group. Yay. I've been champing at the bit to get the vaccine.

However, the news about AZ and blood clots has made me slightly twitchy. Years ago I was on the Pill and developed headaches and pains in my legs. I saw the GP and while she couldn't locate a blood clot she recommended I stop taking the Pill. That stopped the symptoms. Many years later I was pregnant. I was already on aspirin as was standard at my fertility clinic. My baby was born prem and IUGR. There was a problem with blood flow through the placenta and she wasn't growing. I was told if I had another pregnancy I would be put on clexane.

So I don't have any diagnosed clotting disorder but some indications that something isn't quite right. This makes me hesitant to have AZ. I know the overall risk of blood clots is very small but those numbers are for the general population - I don't know what the % of issues is for those with clotting disorders. So who can I talk to about this? GP? 119? Someone else? My husband booked his vaccine today and I am eager to get mine too.

I would talk to your GP in the first instance. I hope you get some advice/reassurance.

The AZ blood clotting is caused by an autoimmune response (at it's believed - the time elapse between injection and symptoms kind of make this the only plausible mechanism).

So your question is a bit like say if you had bad eyesight and found driving difficult. Then you get offered a car known very infrequently for the brakes to fail.... The two things aren't related although they both relate to safe driving, but you'd be just as likely/unlikely to have brake failure as anyone else.

Side note, if there was any kind of history of clotting issues with those who've experienced this side effect, it would have been headlines by now. It's EXACTLY what scientists have been trying to find - connections!

Look up Antiphospholipid syndrome it's a clotting disorder and a autoimmune disorder.
I have it and have had the 1st az vaccine but I'm probably not going to have the second.

(APS) is an autoimmune disorder. Signs and symptoms vary, but may include blood clots, miscarriage, rash, chronic headaches, dementia , and seizures . APS occurs when your body's immune system makes antibodies that attack phospholipids.

Check with your GP to see if in your discharge notes it says you have anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS).

I also had IUGR and extremely prem, low birthweight baby.

There are numerous causes of IUGR and although unlikely, APS can be one of them. they hopefully would have tested you at the time. To be honest, I would expect you would know if you had it.

If you have, then take advice from your GP about vaccine.

Ignore what I just said OP.

O just checked Beverly Hunt on Twitter.

They are discussing this right now with chief med officer and the previous advice remains the same:

“ Having a previous thrombosis or thrombophilia (sticky blood) is not a risk factor for developing the rare post COVID-19 vaccine thrombosis & thrombocytopenia “

But now, they are also saying this includes PLS which is different from last week.

This means any potential clotting issues that were found before, including PLS do not put you at higher risk with the vaccine.

I expect the formal advice will be released later today.

This is interesting. I had an IUGR baby and also preeclampsia (two different pregnancies but I understand both can be caused by blood flow issues through placenta.) I had AZ in March when it looked like blood clot issues had been debunked and I have been very nervous, although day 18 now and ok so far 🤞

Beverly Hunt is the person to listen to. I'm going to follow her advice.

This is all really helpful, thanks. I will look out for an announcement later. I just want to get on and have it if I can.