A 23-year-old Florida woman has been temporarily blinded and bruised after allegedly being required to receive multiple vaccines before a blood transfusion for a rare autoimmune disorder.
Alexis Lorenze was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) in January.
The extremely rare condition affects approximately one in a million people, causing the immune system to attack and destroy red blood cells.
Earlier this month, Lorenze reportedly traveled to California for a transfusion to replenish her damaged blood cells.
Upon her arrival at UCI Medical, she claims doctors informed her that she could not receive the transfusion unless she first received vaccines for tetanus, pneumonia and meningitis, all administered simultaneously.
She said that within 10 minutes after the vaccinations, she began to experience alarming symptoms: her vision darkened in both eyes, her jaw locked, she began vomiting, and her body swelled and bruised.
Medical experts have voiced concerns about the potential dangers of administering multiple vaccines at once, especially in patients with autoimmune conditions like PNH as these patients can have heightened immune responses, leading to severe complications.
One such complication, cytokine storms, can cause the body to attack its own healthy tissues and organs. It can be life-threatening and lead to irreversible damage.
“While it’s usually safe for most people to get these vaccines together, in her case, the immune response could have been too much and led to complications,” Dr. Raj Dasgupta, chief medical advisor for Fortune Recommends Health, told Daily Mail.
“To avoid overloading her system, it would be reasonable to space out the vaccines and closely monitor for any worsening symptoms.”
Doctors have suggested that the vaccines themselves were unlikely the direct cause of Lorenze’s severe reactions, they suggested that her PNH condition may have been unstable, and the vaccinations could have triggered a flare-up or allergic reaction.
“There’s also the possibility that what she’s experiencing isn’t just from the vaccines,” Dr. Dasgupta said.
“PNH can flare up on its own, and we have to consider whether the condition itself is behind her severe reaction. Both factors (her PNH and the vaccines) need to be carefully weighed when looking at what’s happening.”
Lorenze’s case has sparked significant debate, particularly regarding the hospital’s rationale for allegedly requiring the vaccines so urgently.
Vaccines for meningitis and pneumonia are often recommended for certain high-risk groups, including those undergoing immunotherapy, as they become more susceptible to infections. However, several medical experts questioned whether the vaccines were genuinely necessary prior to her transfusion.
In a series of viral TikTok videos, Lorenze claimed that she hadn’t received any vaccines since childhood. Her family has claimed that the hospital insisted the vaccinations were mandatory for the transfusion, but some experts argue that this is not a standard requirement.
Lorenze’s family is now seeking to transfer her to a private hospital in Los Angeles for further treatment, as she continues to experience pain and swelling.
