A new preprint study of 513 284 patients looked at the risk of developing cerebral venous thrombosis among patients who a. had COVID-19, b. people who had the Pfizer and Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, and c. those who did not have the COVID-19 and its vaccine.
Cerebral venous thrombosis or CVT is when blood clots form inside the veins that drain the brain. CVT presents commonly as headache and can present with visual symptoms, stroke-like symptoms such as weakness of the face and limbs on one side of the body, and seizures. The mortality of CVT in this study is 20%
The study showed that the incidence of CVT after COVID-19 diagnosis is 39 per million people. The incidence after receiving the Pfizer or Moderna vaccines are 4.1 per million people.
The study also looked at the data from Europe about the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, and the incidence of CVT is 5 per million people.
The authors conclude a 100 fold higher risk of getting CVT if you get COVID-19 if you do not get the COVID-19 vaccine.
But there is more to the study. The authors also looked at the incidence of CVT in the total population studied. It includes those who did not have COVID-19 or got vaccinated. The incidence of CVT in that group is only 0.41 per million people over any two-week period.
Comparing the vaccinated (4.1 per million) and the unvaccinated (0.41per million) who did not get the COVID-19, there is a 10-fold increase in getting CVT in those who got vaccinated!
Portal Vein Thrombosis
They also looked at the incidence of portal vein thrombosis or PVT. The hepatic portal vein drains the blood from the intestines. In rare situations, blood clots can form within it and cause upper abdominal pain, nausea, and fluid buildup inside the abdominal cavity.
The incidence of PVT after COVID-19 is 436.4 per million people and 44.9 per million people after the Pfizer and Moderna vaccine. The death rate is 18.8%
For the AstraZeneca vaccine, the incidence of PVT is 1.6 per million people.
In the study group, the overall incidence is 4.1 per million people.
Again, there is a 10 fold increase in the development of PVT for COVID-19 patients who were not vaccinated compared to the ones vaccinated.
There is also a 10 fold increase in the risk of PVT if you get vaccinated for COVID-19.
Comments on the study
- This is the first study that quantifies the difference in the risk of developing CVT and PVT among those vaccinated and those who did not. The risk is 10 times higher if you did not get vaccinated. Future studies should know how many people who got vaccinated and then got sick with COVID-19 will develop blood clots. Are the vaccinated people more prone to blood clots? No one knows yet.
- The study does not explain why those who were vaccinated developed blood clots. Is it because of an autoimmune reaction from the COVID-19 vaccine?
- The study does not really prove that vaccination lowers your risk of developing blood clots. That is because it is a retrospective study. It looks behind. A more meaningful study is to find out who among the vaccinated still developed blood clots when they get another COVID-19 from the same or another variant.
- Interestingly, they chose uncommon blood clots like CVT and PVT. Blood clotting disorders are systemic. That means blood clots can form anywhere. More common blood clots are Deep Venous Thrombosis or DVT and pulmonary embolism or PE. They are easier to identify. For example, DVT will have swollen and painful legs. PE will present as shortness of breath and chest pains with low oxygen levels. These presentations can make anyone seek medical consult.
- CVT can present as a regular headache. These symptoms may be interpreted as regular sinusitis or allergies. PVT can manifest as upper abdominal pain or nausea, and anyone may think it is only a stomach upset. Their diagnoses can easily be missed.
- Patients with severe COVID-19 who develop CVT and PVT are usually in the hospital and get regular blood tests. That means any decrease in the platelets or abnormalities in the clotting functions can be diagnosed earlier. A physician can order imaging for the brain and abdomen like CT scans and MRIs to confirm the diagnosis.
- In contrast, healthy people who get vaccinated and develop CVT of PVT who develop symptoms may think it is nothing serious and may not present to a physician until they are very ill or sometimes in cardiac arrest.
- The bottom line is that I think the number of people who develop blood clots is underreported.
- The Johnson and Johnson COVID-19 vaccine rollout has been halted because of blood clots in 6 out of 6.8 million people. That is less than 1 per million people. The incidence of CVT in Pfizer and Moderna is 4.1 per million people. So far, no news of getting either one being halted. In contrast, the CEO of Pfizer says a third Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine dose ‘likely’ needed within a year.
- Meanwhile, the AstraZeneca COVID vaccine has been banned in Denmark due to blood clot concerns. (CVT incidence of 5 per million people)
Talk to your doctor if you develop severe headaches, upper abdominal pain, chest pain, shortness of breath, and leg swelling after getting the COVID-19 vaccine.
Report any adverse events to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System at this link
Knowledge about Covid-19 is rapidly evolving. Information may update as new studies are made. Stay current by subscribing. Feel free to share.
Don’t Get Sick!
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- COVID-19, Autoimmunity, and Vaccination Part 2
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- Molecular Mimicry between the SARS-CoV-2 and the Breathing Center
- COVID-19, Autoimmunity, and Vaccination Part 1
- The MATH+ Protocol Results in Greater Survival in Hospitalized COVID-19 Patients
Image Credit:
– Atlas and Text-book of Human Anatomy Volume III Vascular System, Lymphatic system, Nervous system, and Sense Organs
Portal Vein thrombosis by By Hellerhoff – Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=12012546