Research on COVID 19 vax causing Essential Thrombocythemia?

Well, this was a brand new question, so I thought I would start at VAERS - the Vaccine Adverse Event Reports from the CDC.
Here is what I found - amongst 880,000 Covid vaccine reports, there were 21 reports of possible Essential Thrombocythemia. Then I checked ALL adverse reports - of 1.6 million, there were 220 reports of a possible connection. I would say that with these few reports, it is probably not being specifically studied.
Remember, this is not a confirmed connection, just the two events, like yours, occurred at about the same time.

The other question is whether you ever had Covid, because blood changes were common for some people who were infected, and some oyher viruses (pre-Covid) sometimes led to new diagnosis of ET.

Here is what Mayo Clinic has to say: https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/essential-thrombocythemia/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20361131

Sue

Hi there. In 2021 I took both Pfizer vaccines. I did my annual health exam in February 2021 my platelet counts were normal around 325 and healthy as a bull. Routine 2022 physical My platelets went to 520. In 2023 physical exam My platelets went to 791. Prompted my physician to have me see a specialist. So I did all the tests necessary and my CAL Exon9 mutated, causing my platelets to go high. Looking at the timeline I am certain that is after I took the vaccine. I am a health 51 year old in 2021. I eat properly and work-out over two hours a day. No past health issues or hereditary. Both parents are alive in the 80s with no major issues. Something got triggered in my body and the timeline is exactly what other people are experiencing.

The Pfizer vax triggered UTI’s in me.. 😳🥵🥺 Moderna was just fine. Go figure!

It may be helpful to know that research on ET and other MPNs indicates that the gene mutations can often detected years or decades before the disease shows symptoms. So it's unlikely that the vax caused the ET. It seems more likely that exposure to something many years ago triggered it.

In addition, while the genetic mutation itself is not hereditary, the tendency to mutate when exposed to the right trigger over time may be inherited. My dad and I both developed ET after years of living in a town where they made napalm and Agent Orange. These chemicals are suspected culprits in Vietnam vets developing MPNs in later life. But of course many people in the same family won' t develop cancers, so that complicates things.

Overall, there is very little research on environmental substances that cause any cancers. That's because scientists have to look for people with cancers caused by the specific mutations, and then try to tease out what patients were exposed to in the past to look for patterns. And even if there is a pattern, it indicates only a link, not a cause and effect. It's all pretty hit or miss.

ET patients I talk with have theories about what caused their cancer--stress, obesity, dental xrays, vaccines, cosmetics, fast food, freon. I hope researchers keep looking for causes.

But trying to figure out what caused mine is above my pay grade, and there's nothing I can do about it now. I try to focus on how to take care of myself.

Correlation does not mean causation. My platelets started to rise 3 years before the pandemic. I have no other health concerns. I've had all 5 shots, the last being the booster in Oct 2022, which did not affect my platelet levels. However I did have shingrix vaccine a week before my Feb 2023 CBC test, and my platelets dropped precipitously. Since they have risen slightly, but not to the level they were before the shingrix vaccine. While vaccines can affect our CBC test results, as I started my comment "Correlation does not mean causation.".....sometimes things just happen. No one in my family has ET or other blood disorder.

I also had my platelets jump from 400 to 600 to 700 after 5 COVID shots. The first jump was after the first 3 COVID shots in 2021 and the next jump was after 2 COVID shots and 2 Shingrix shots in 2022. In Feb. 2023, I was diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia with Jak2. My platelets were normal until I started the COVID vaccines. I want someone to take this information, but where can I get it noticed? I had no symptoms at diagnosis, just high platelets. I take 500mg of hydroxyurea 2x week and baby aspirin and iron daily. I am not taking any additional COVID shots.

Thank you for helping me get this information to someone.
Karla

I had exactly the same happen to me. Moderna was just fine; that said Pfizer seems to be the predominantly available vaccine, at least where I live… 😢😢

Hi Karla,
I had 7 vaccines in a 7 or 8 (?) month period…3 Covid, 2 Shingrix, flu, Dtap booster, Then I got a psoriasis rash on my legs and scalp. My platelets had been slowly rising for several years. So I do not blame it on the Covid booster but I do blame the psoriasis on all the vaccines.

Strangely, my son had the first Covid booster and a couple weeks later he got shingles on his face. I found info on line that some people had that happen.

I am trying to decide whether to get the RSV, Covid and flu shots. My primary and hematologist are telling me to get them.

Eileen

Interesting. I got my annual flu shot yesterday. From my pcp. I have MDS and he recommended the RSV and yes to my next COVID booster. All mine have been Pfizer. He recommended the Moderna.

I too noticed that my platelet count went up at the time of the Covid vaccines. I've been diagnosed with Essential Thrombocythemia in 2022. I wish the CDC was tracking this information as we've heard of a correlation between Covid vaccine and blood clots. Does anyone know how to report this?