DC man suffers terrifying rare bleeding disorder after Covid vaccine booster
The unidentified man who is in his 70s went to the hospital after he saw blood in his stool - believing it was due to the colonoscopy he had the day before.
But while examining him, doctors also noticed large, dark bruises on both of his arms that had developed within the span of a few days.
Tests revealed he was suffering from hemophilia A, where the body prevents blood from clotting, causing excessive bleeding from wounds for days at end.
This prolonged bleeding can cause blood to accumulate beneath the skin, forming a bruise and make the body more susceptible to injuries.
In this particular case, since the patient had sustained wounds from a colorectal procedure, they were mostly bleeding internally and the blood was only visible in their stool.
The patient had no family history of the condition and was not actively bleeding, according to a medical report about his case.
However, they traced his symptoms back a week after the elderly patient had received his Moderna Covid vaccine booster - marking it as his fifth shot.
The experts theorized that it was possible the shot triggered his immune system to produce antibodies against his body's clotting process and caused the disorder.
Typically, mRNA vaccines work by prompting the immune system to produce SARS-CoV-2 spike proteins to attack the Covid virus in the body through a piece of genetic code.
However, in this case doctors believe that it may be possible that the vaccine also made the body stop recognizing its own cells as safe and began developing antibodies against the clotting process.
Experts have noted that adverse reactions to Covid vaccines are extremely rare and that the benefits of getting the shot outweigh potential complications
After his diagnosis, the experts reviewed 21 cases of AHA developing in patients after receiving Covid vaccines between 2020 to 2022 and discovered that they usually were in their 70s and symptoms tend to show 14 days after receiving the shot.
They also noted that the condition can be fatal in about 10.3 percent of cases which is why early diagnosis and treatment are crucial for survival.
AHA can cause bleeding in the skin, muscles, and soft tissues but more concerningly, it can also lead to internal bleeding, including in the brain and gastrointestinal tract - which if not controlled, can cause the body to start bleeding out and in certain cases, lead to death.
It remains unclear exactly how the vaccine triggered specific clotting antibody production in the patients' bodies.
Most cases OF AHA occurred after people received their first or second dose of the Covid vaccine - when the immune response is highest.
However, this particular man developed the bleeding disorder after his fifth dose - making his case distinct.
When the elderly man initially went to the doctors, his white blood cell count, platelets count, liver and kidney function all appeared normal during tests.
But much to their surprise, the bruising on his arms continued to worsen and he developed large marks on his left knee two weeks later - prompting doctors to order more intensive blood tests which included a plasma test.
Results showed that while his white cell and platelets counts were normal, they were certain antibodies present in his plasma that were not allowing the body's clotting process to function.
Further testing showed that his body's FVIII, crucial protein involved in forming blood clots to stop bleeding, levels were only at one percent in his body.
As a result, he was diagnosed with acquired hemophilia A - which is known to primarily target the FVIII protein in the body.
Typical symptoms of this condition include nosebleeds, bruising throughout the body, solid swellings of congealed blood, blood in the urine and gastrointestinal bleeding.
Consequently, patients also develop also complications associated with abnormal, uncontrolled bleeding into the muscles, skin and soft tissue that can occur spontaneously, during surgery or following trauma.
While it is usually treatable, AHA can potentially cause life-threatening bleeding complications in certain cases.
Experts estimate that the condition affects about two people per a million in the US - meaning that it is diagnosed in nearly 1,000 people in a population of 340 million people.
As for treatment, the elderly man was asked to visit a haematology clinic every week and began taking cyclophosphamide (an immunosuppressant medication used to treat autoimmune diseases).
The doctors progressively decreased his cyclophosphamide dosage as his FVIII levels improved and he showed signs of recovery.
Along with this, he was also given medications to prevent fungal infections and protect the stomach.
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