A 23-year-old woman from Florida, Alexis Lorenze, says she has been temporarily blinded

and has bruises after being required to get several vaccines before receiving a blood transfusion for a rare autoimmune disorder.

Alexis was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) in January.

This very rare condition affects about one in a million people and causes the immune system to attack and destroy red blood cells.

Alexis Lorenze was diagnosed with Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH) in January. Earlier this month, she traveled to California for a blood transfusion to help with her damaged blood cells.

When she arrived at UCI Medical, she says doctors told her she needed to get vaccines for tetanus, pneumonia, and meningitis before the transfusion, and all three were given at the same time.

Shortly after the vaccines, she experienced serious symptoms: her vision went dark in both eyes, her jaw locked, she started vomiting, and her body swelled and bruised.

Medical experts are worried about the risks of giving multiple vaccines at once, especially to patients with autoimmune conditions like PNH. These patients can have stronger immune reactions, which may lead to severe complications.

One possible complication is a cytokine storm, where the body attacks its own healthy tissues and organs. This can be life-threatening and cause permanent damage.

The very rare condition affects about one in a million people and causes the immune system to attack and destroy red blood cells.

Dr. Raj Dasgupta, a chief medical advisor, explained that while it’s usually safe for most people to get those vaccines together, in Alexis’s case, her immune response might have been too strong and caused problems.

He suggested that it would have been better to give the vaccines separately and watch for any worsening symptoms to avoid overloading her system.

Doctors believe the vaccines themselves likely weren’t the direct cause of Alexis’s severe reactions, but her PNH condition may have been unstable, and the vaccinations could have triggered a flare-up or allergic reaction.

Dr. Dasgupta also mentioned that Alexis’s problems might not be only due to the vaccines. He said that PNH can flare up on its own, so it’s important to consider whether her condition is causing her severe reaction. Both her PNH and the vaccines need to be looked at closely to understand what’s happening.

Alexis’s situation has started a lot of discussion, especially about why the hospital insisted she get the vaccines so urgently.

Alexis said that within 10 minutes after getting the vaccines, she started to have serious symptoms: her vision went dark in both eyes, her jaw locked up, she began vomiting, and her body swelled and bruised.

Vaccines for meningitis and pneumonia are usually recommended for certain high-risk groups, like people getting immunotherapy, because they are more likely to get infections. However, many medical experts are questioning if these vaccines were really necessary before her transfusion.

In some viral TikTok videos, Alexis said she hadn’t had any vaccines since she was a child. Her family claims that the hospital said the vaccines were mandatory for the transfusion, but some experts say this isn’t a standard rule.

Now, Lorenze’s family is trying to move her to a private hospital in Los Angeles for more treatment, as she is still in pain and experiencing swelling.