The AstraZeneca Covid-19 Vaccine Linked to Cutaneous Vasculitis as a New Side Effect

Covid vaccines have become fundamental tools to reduce the effects associated with contagion by the virus and the benefits of their use are many more than the possible side effects.

However, some of them have caused, since the pandemic, possible adverse reactions, in most cases with minimal severity. Until December 31, 2022, 111,293,866 doses of vaccines against covid-19 have been administered in Spain, having registered 84,650 notifications of adverse events. The most frequent continue to be general disorders (fever and malaise), nervous system (headache) and musculoskeletal system (myalgia and arthralgia).

The Spanish Agency for Medicines and Health Products (Aemps) has 19 pharmacovigilance reports aimed at Covid vaccines and in the last of them it has indicated the possibility of a new effect caused by the AstraZeneca (Vaxzevria) vaccine. It is called cutaneous vasculitis.

cutaneous vasculitis

Cutaneous vasculitis is an inflammation of the blood vessels in the skin. In addition, it frequently manifests itself in the form of a skin rash or as small, flat, round red or purplish spots under the surface of the skin, or bruises.

Why is this happening? This inflammation of the blood vessels can thicken the walls of the blood vessels, reducing the width of the passage inside the blood vessels. If blood flow is restricted, organs and tissues can be damaged.