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AstraZeneca and birth control pills: Thrombosis risk even comparable? Lauterbach is now clearing up

2021-03-17T11:52:58.326Z


A possibly increased risk of thrombosis has brought the AstraZeneca vaccine to a vaccination stop in many places. But the often-cited comparison to the birth control pill is limping.


A possibly increased risk of thrombosis has brought the AstraZeneca vaccine to a vaccination stop in many places.

But the often-cited comparison to the birth control pill is limping.

  • Vaccination with AstraZeneca was suspended in Germany after eight thrombosis cases.

  • An increased risk of blood clots is suspected.

  • In social networks, the comparison with the birth control pill is now often made.

  • However, this does not seem to make sense to doctors and experts.

Munich - Around 1.6 million vaccine doses of the AstraZeneca preparation have already been vaccinated in Germany.

Then Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) announced on Monday: The vaccinations with the British-Swedish vaccine will be suspended for the time being.

Because there are now eight thrombosis cases related to the vaccination.

After seven cases, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) had issued its recommendation for suspension.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is now checking whether there is actually a connection.

However, this has not yet been confirmed.

Birth control pills and AstraZeneca: There are numerous comparisons between the drugs

On the other hand, there is a scientifically proven causal chain between taking the contraceptive pill and an increased risk of thrombosis.

This is particularly true of third and fourth generation birth control pills.

Depending on the progestin used, between 8 and 12 out of 10,000 women suffer a thromboembolic event, according to data from the University of Bremen.

If you extrapolate to a million, the average is around 1,100.

About 6 out of a million people have developed thrombosis after receiving the AstraZeneca vaccination.

Young and middle-aged women were most commonly affected.

This is why the vaccine and the contraceptive drug have often been compared with each other, especially in social networks.

It should be shown that thrombosis occurs significantly less frequently with the corona vaccination than with the common drug.

A comparison that does not hold up on closer inspection.

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Different forms of thrombosis: That is why the comparison between AstraZeneca and Pill is flawed

Because the cases that occurred after vaccination with the AstraZeneca vaccine are a special form of thrombosis: very rare cerebral vein thrombosis.

These are not one of the side effects of the pill, rather it triggers the more familiar clots in leg veins or pulmonary embolisms.

The comparison between the two drugs is not a good one, explains health expert Karl Lauterbach (SPD) on Deutschlandfunk.

“In fact, that's a different risk.

The thromboses that occur after taking the pill are not comparable in severity to the thromboses we are talking about here. ”Medical expert Dr.

Christoph Specht.

He also considers the comparison between the birth control pill and the supposed side effect of the corona vaccination difficult, as he explains to RTL.

The phenomena that occur are too different.

What's next for the AstraZeneca vaccine - EMA review

But what does this assessment mean for the AstraZeneca preparation?

It has not yet been scientifically confirmed that the thrombosis was caused by the vaccine.

Lauterbach assumes, however, that the new investigation will show that the cerebral vein thrombosis is actually causally related to the AstraZeneca vaccination.

He estimates that the side effect could affect one in 250 to 300,000 people.

The complication is severe, but very rare and often treatable.

He believes that further use of the vaccine is very likely, he says on Deutschlandfunk.

So far, the EMA has also firmly assumed this.

The PEI explains on its website why, in its opinion, it was still the right thing to do to stop the vaccination first: The contraceptive pill is only available on prescription, the potentially dangerous side effects are in the package insert and the attending physician must explain the risk.

“For the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccination, there is currently a suspicion of the very rare side effect of sinus vein thrombosis with accompanying platelet deficiency, sometimes fatal.

It is not listed in the patient information. ”This check by the EMA must now be carried out before further vaccination with it.

(mam)

List of rubric lists: © Ottfried Schreiter / imago-images

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-03-17

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