Pituitary apoplexy following adenoviral vector-based COVID-19 vaccination

Abstract

Pituitary apoplexy (PA) may complicate the course of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), posing a potential threat to life. Among vaccines designed to prevent COVID-19, there are those adenoviral vector-based, such as Vaxzevria® (formerly COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca). The product insert states that it can cause very rare coagulation disorders, in particular thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome in some cases accompanied by bleeding, cerebrovascular venous or sinus thrombosis, and thrombocytopenia, including immune thrombocytopenia, also associated with bleeding. Here, we report the onset of PA after Vaxzevria® in a 28-year-old healthy Caucasian female, who experienced long-lasting tension-type headache, hyperprolactinemia and menstrual changes, without thrombocytopenia or thrombosis.

Keywords

• Pituitary apoplexy
• Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19)
• COVID-19 Vaccine AstraZeneca
• Vaxzevria®
• Menstrual changes
• Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)