The European Medicines Agency (EMA) includes capillary leak syndrome as a contraindication for the Vaxzevria vaccine

17/06/2021

The EMA's safety committee, PRAC (the Pharmacovigilance Risk Assessment Committee), conducted an assessment of six cases of capillary leak syndrome in people who had received the Vaxzevria COVID-19 vaccine, formerly the AstraZeneca vaccine, and concluded that people in whom capillary leak syndrome had previously occurred should not be vaccinated with the Vaxzevria vaccine. The committee indicated that the product information will be updated to include a contraindication in people with a history of capillary leak syndrome, and this will also be included as a side effect of this vaccine; the frequency of this event is unknown. 

As of 27 May 2021, more than 78 million doses of the Vaxzevria vaccine had been administered in the European Union and the United Kingdom. Most cases of capillary leak syndrome occurred in women, within four days after vaccination. Of the six cases evaluated, three occurred in individuals with a history of capillary leak syndrome, one of whom subsequently died. 

Capillary leak syndrome is a serious, very rare condition that can be fatal if untreated. It causes fluid leakage from the capillaries, resulting in edema affecting primarily the extremities, causing hypotension, hemoconcentration and hypoalbuminemia. People who have been vaccinated with the Vaxzevria vaccine should seek immediate medical care if they experience swelling of the arms and legs or sudden weight gain in the days following vaccination. These symptoms are often associated with feeling faint, due to low blood pressure.

Source: https://www.ema.europa.eu/en/news/vaxzevria-ema-advises-against-use-people-historycapillary-leak-syndrome

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