A San Francisco Bay Area man in his 30s is recuperating after developing a rare
blood clot in his leg within two weeks of receiving the Johnson & Johnson
vaccine, University of California, San Francisco officials said.
As
of Friday, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had reported the
condition in 15 people, all women, after 8 million doses were administered
nationally. It involves unusual clots that occur together with low levels of
blood-clotting platelets.
“To
the best of our knowledge, this is the first male patient with VITT syndrome in
the U.S. following the U.S. emergency authorization of the Johnson &
Johnson vaccine on Feb. 27, 2021,” UCSF said in a statement.
U.S. health officials lifted an 11-day pause on COVID-19 vaccinations using
Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose shot on Friday, after scientific advisers
decided its benefits outweigh the rare risk of blood clot. Three of the women
previously identified died, and seven remain hospitalized.
The
man is making good progress and should be discharged within a few days, UCSF
said in a statement. He was admitted April 21 with escalating pain in his lower
back and leg 13 days after receiving the vaccine.
Dr.
Andrew Leavitt, a hematologist who is treating the patient, said Monday that a
calling card of the syndrome is blood clots in unusual places, such as the head
or abdominal areas.
Initial
imaging did not show a blood clot, he said, “but much of his clinical picture
made us think he was having a clot.”
They
eventually found one, and Dr. Leavitt says the case sheds light on an emerging
and rare condition.
Bloodwork
showed he had the same syndrome as the other patients, although initial imaging
did not show a blood clot, said UCSF spokeswoman Suzanne Leigh. Physicians
later discovered a tiny clot, she said.
As
it recommended resuming J&J vaccinations, the FDA updated its online
vaccine information leaflets for would-be recipients and health workers.
Federal
health officials say the small clot risk could be handled with warnings to help
younger women decide if they should use that shot or an alternative as it has
important advantages for some people who were anxiously awaiting its return.