Fatal Cerebral Venous Thrombosis in a Pregnant Woman with Inherited Antithrombin Deficiency after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination.

Antithrombin deficiency is a high-risk factor for venous thromboembolism during pregnancy, whereas cerebral venous thrombosis is rare. Cerebral venous thrombosis related to coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccines has been reported; however, there are a few reports of cerebral venous thrombosis after a messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccination. A 25-year-old female in her sixth week of pregnancy presented with headache 24 days after BNT162b2 mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. The following day, she presented with altered sensorium and was diagnosed with severe cerebral venous thrombosis. She demonstrated heparin resistance and was found to have an inherited antithrombin deficiency. A heterozygous missense variant in SERPINC1 (c.379T>C, p.Cys127Arg, 'AT Morioka') was detected by DNA analysis. Despite intensive care with unfractionated heparin, antithrombin concentrate, and repeated endovascular treatments, she died on the sixth day of hospitalization. Cerebral venous thrombosis in pregnant women with an antithrombin deficiency can follow a rapid and fatal course. Treatment with unfractionated heparin and antithrombin concentrate may be ineffective in severe cerebral venous thrombosis cases with antithrombin deficiency. Early recognition of antithrombin deficiency and an immediate switch to other anticoagulants may be required. Although the association between cerebral venous thrombosis and the vaccine is uncertain, COVID-19 vaccinations may require careful evaluation for patients with prothrombic factors.

Validation of a Prospective Urinalysis-Based Prediction Model for the Outcome of COVID-19 Disease: A Multicenter Cohort Study (preprint)

Background: Identifying preventive strategies in Covid-19 patients will help to improve resource-allocation and reduce mortality. In this Journal, we recently demonstrated in a post-mortem cohort that SARS-CoV-2 renal tropism was associated with kidney injury, disease severity and mortality. We also proposed an algorithm to predict the risk of adverse outcomes in Covid-19 patients harnessing urinalysis and protein/coagulation parameters on admission for signs of kidney injury. Here, we aimed to validate this hypothesis in a multicenter cohort.Methods: Patients hospitalized for Covid-19 at four tertiary centers were screened for an available urinalysis, serum albumin (SA) and antithrombin-III activity (AT-III) obtained prospectively within 48h upon admission. The respective presumed risk for an unfavorable course was categorized as “low”, “intermediate” or “high”, depending on a normal urinalysis, an abnormal urinalysis with SA ≥2 g/dl and AT-III ≥70%, or an abnormal urinalysis with at least one SA or AT-III abnormality. Time to ICU or death within ten days served as primary, in-hospital mortality and required organ support served as secondary endpoints.Findings: Among a total of N=223 screened patients, N=145 were eligible for enrollment, falling into the low (N=43), intermediate (N=84), and high risk (N=18) categories. The risk for ICU transfer or death was 100% in the high risk group and significantly elevated in the composite of high and intermediate risk as compared to the low risk group (63·7% vs. 27·9%; HR 2·6; 95%-CI 1·4 to 4·9; P=0·0020). Having an abnormal urinalysis was associated with mortality, need for mechanical ventilation, extra-corporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) or renal replacement therapy (RRT).Interpretation: Our data confirm that Covid-19-associated urine abnormalities on admission predict disease aggravation. This supports the conceptual relevance of Covid-19-associated kidney injury. By engaging a simple urine dipstick our algorithm allows for early preventive measures and appropriate patient stratification. Trial Registration: (ClinicalTrials.gov number NCT04347824)Funding Statement: This work was supported by the DFG (GR 1852/6-1 to OG; CRC1192 to JET, EH and TBH), (HU 1016/8-2, HU 1016/11-1, HU 1016/ 12-1 to TBH) and (GR 1852/6-1 to OG); by the BMBF (STOP-FSGS-01GM1518C and NephrESA-031L0191E to TBH), by the Else-Kröner Fresenius Foundation (Else Kröner-Promotionskolleg –iPRIME to TBH), and by the H2020-IMI2 consortium BEAt-DKD (115974 to TBH). In addition, the UMG Göttingen applied for Government funding (Covid-19 program) by The German Federal Ministry of Education and Research and the application currently is under consideration.Declaration of Interests: All authors report no conflict of interest in relation to this observational cohort-study. Ethics Approval Statement: According to the German Medicines Act, the study was approved by the leading institutional review board (IRB) of the UMG Göttingen (41/4/20), and all others.