Following Covid vaccines in young people, a U.S. vaccine safety working group is looking into a small number of cases of heart inflammation, Reuters reported. Most cases reported so far have been mild. The condition, called myocarditis, is also somewhat common. The rate is seen so far in vaccinated people does not differ from the baseline expected in the population, meaning there may be no link.
And even if a link can be established, “vaccines are going to unequivocally be much more beneficial outweighing this very low if conclusively established, risk,” Dr. Amesh Adalja, senior scholar at the Johns Hopkins Center for Health Security, told Reuters, referring to the benefits the vaccine provides in preventing Covid. The cases seem to be occurring more often in young adults and adolescents, in males, and about four days after receiving the 2nd shot of mRNA vaccines made by Moderna and Pfizer-BioNTech according to CDC.
To find out whether there is a link, the researchers are reviewing records and asking clinicians to report such cases by being on high alert. Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle that after infection with the virus often occurs such as Covid and influenza. Symptoms can range from chest pain and mild fatigue that causes heart rhythm irregularities, cardiac arrest, and in rare, severe cases even death. According to a 2020, review in the Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia most cases resolve with no long-term effects. Males tend to be more affected by the disease.
According to the study, about 10 to 22 people per 100,000 or up to 70,000 people in the U.S are diagnosed with viral myocarditis every year. Many cases are mild that they are never diagnosed. According to CDC, so far under the age of 18, more than 4 million people and tens of millions ages 24 and younger have received the vaccine. CDC did not share how many cases of myocarditis they were investigating. Other vaccines such as flu vaccines can cause myocarditis. Since the time vaccination began the CDC started monitoring for cases of this heart inflammation in those who have been vaccinated.
