A 23-year-old woman from Florida, USA, has been temporarily blinded and injured after allegedly receiving multiple vaccines before receiving a blood transfusion for a rare autoimmune disorder.
The young woman, Alexis Lorenzo, was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) in January 2024.
The extremely rare condition affects around one in a million, causing the immune system to attack and destroy red blood cells.
In early September, Lorenz reportedly traveled to California for a transfusion to replenish his depleted blood cell count after arriving at UCI Medical, claiming that doctors informed him that until The first time she doesn't get the tetanus, pneumonia and meningitis vaccine, she can't die. administered at the same time.
She said that within 10 minutes of the injection, she began experiencing symptoms she didn't understand: both of her eyes went dark, her jaw clenched, she started vomiting. became, and his body became swollen and bruised.
Medical experts have raised concerns about the potential risks of administering multiple vaccines at once, particularly in patients with autoimmune conditions such as PNH because these patients may have an increased immune response, leading to a severe cytokine storm. Complications can develop, which can attack the body. Healthy tissues and organs. This can be fatal and cause irreversible damage.
Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical advisor at Fortune Recommends Health, told the Daily Mail: “While it is generally safe for most people to get this vaccine together, in her case, the immune response could be overwhelming and complications could occur. can lead to.”
“To avoid overloading his system, it would be advisable to administer vaccines and closely monitor any worsening symptoms.”
Doctors have suggested that the vaccines themselves were not the direct cause of Lorenze's severe reaction, suggesting that her PNH condition may have been unstable, and that the vaccine may have caused a flare-up or allergic reaction.
“There's also the possibility that what she's experiencing is not just from the vaccine,” Dr. Dasgupta said.
“PNH can flare up on its own, and we have to consider whether the condition itself is behind her severe reaction. We carefully consider both factors (her PNH and the vaccine) when looking at what's going on. Need to weigh.
Lorenze's case has sparked significant debate, particularly regarding the hospital's alleged rationale for needing the vaccine so urgently.
In a series of viral TikTok videos, Lorenz claimed that he had not been vaccinated since childhood.
His family has claimed the hospital insisted the vaccine was mandatory for the transfer, but some experts say it is not a standard requirement.