March 29, 2024

Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine Associated With Increased Risk of Carditis (Heart Inflammation)

Regardless of low outright risk, Pfizer/BioNTech BNT162b2 COVID-19 vaccine associated with increased danger of carditis.
Significantly increased risk in teenagers after 2nd dosage may call for refined vaccination strategies

A case-control study discovered that regardless of low outright threat, there is an increased relative risk of carditis associated with BNT162b2 (commonly-known as Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine) vaccination. Considering the significantly increased threat in adolescents after the second dose, vaccination techniques might require to constantly consider the danger and benefits for various sub-populations, rather than taking a one-size-fits-all method. The findings will be released today (January 24, 2022) in Annals of Internal Medicine.
Common subtypes of carditis include myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, a swelling of the external lining of the heart. Case reports of carditis after BNT162b2 vaccination have actually accrued worldwide.
Researchers from the University of Hong Kong studied 160 case patients (with carditis) and 1,533 control patients (without carditis) to analyze the potential threat of carditis connected with vaccination with BNT162b2 or CoronaVac. 10 control clients were matched with case patients based upon age, sex, and date of healthcare facility admission.
After performing analyses, the authors found 20 cases of carditis associated with BNT162b2 and 7 related to CoronaVac vaccination. Patients who received BNT162b2 were 3 times most likely to experience carditis than unvaccinated clients. On the other hand, patients who received CoronaVac had a similar opportunity as unvaccinated patients to experience carditis.
The authors also observed that threat increase related to BNT162b2 was predominant in males and was more likely to be seen after the 2nd dosage.
Cumulative incidence of carditis after vaccination was 0.57 per 100,000 doses of BNT162b2 and 0.31 per 100,000 dosages of CoronaVac, demonstrating a very low outright threat of carditis after vaccination.
According to the authors, none of the 20 case clients with carditis after BNT162b2 vaccination were admitted to the ICU or died within the observation duration, compared to 14 of 133 unvaccinated patients confessed to the ICU and 12 deaths.
Recommendation: 24 January 2022, Annals of Internal Medicine.DOI: 10.7326/ M21-3700.

A case-control study discovered that regardless of low absolute threat, there is an increased relative risk of carditis associated with BNT162b2 (commonly-known as Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine) vaccination. After performing analyses, the authors found 20 cases of carditis associated with BNT162b2 and 7 associated with CoronaVac vaccination. Patients who received BNT162b2 were 3 times more most likely to experience carditis than unvaccinated clients.