COVID Vaccine-induced Myocarditis

COVID-19, a respiratory virus, completely shut the world down. The usually bustling and clamorous streets of cities fell silent, parks and sidewalks were deserted, restaurants and bars empty. The world appeared to be post apocalyptic. The first case of this deadly disease was reported on December 1, 2019 in Wuhan, China. The infection has caused millions of deaths across the world and many survivors of COVID-19 are scarred with health issues.

While COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, a small portion of hospitalized patients with severe symptoms suffer from myocarditis - an inflammation of the heart muscle. 150 out of 100,000 hospitalized COVID-19 patients are afflicted with myocarditis. According to the CDC. In addition, myocarditis could result in chest pain, shortness of breath, heart failure, arrhythmias, which is the irregular beating of the heart, and even death.

In order to stop the spread of the virus, people should limit social gatherings, wear masks, and stay 2 meters apart from others. The isolation must have gotten to people’s heads , because while in lockdown there was an increase in demand for toilet paper, of all things. About a year after the virus first broke out a vaccine was developed and on December 11, 2020, and the FDA authorized the Pfizer-BioTech COVID-19 vaccine for all individuals 16 years and older for emergency use. About 6 months later on May 10, 2021, the same Pfizer vaccine was approved for emergency use by the FDA for adolescents ranging from 12 to 15 years of age. 

The Center for Disease Control stated that Minor and temporary side effects are common when administered the vaccine such as pain and redness where they got the shot, tiredness, headaches, nausea, and swollen lymph nodes. However, a miniscule portion of the people who received the mRNA (Pfizer-BioTech and Moderna) COVID-19 vaccine were diagnosed with myocarditis. While myocarditis cases from COVID-19 infection are considerably more serious than the ones that originated from the vaccination, the few “unlucky winners” still suffered chest pain, shortness of breath, and an inflamed heart muscle.

The heart disease was typically diagnosed within a week after the second shot of the mRNA vaccine, and it was most commonly found in male adolescents. Mayo Clinic says that Myocarditis can be diagnosed by performing various blood tests, an Electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG), an MRI (Magnetic Resonance Imaging) and an Echocardiogram. 

The blood tests that are performed check for cardiac enzymes, which are proteins in the blood that can determine if there has been any damage done to the heart, and  will find patients being nagged by doctors to eat sugary foods and drink plenty of liquids. Testing for antibodies in the blood will find if there has been myocarditis due to an infection or in this case a vaccine. The Electrocardiogram is done to check if there are any arrhythmias, by placing what feels like a thousand stickers attached to cables and leads on your chest. The hour-long MRI is conducted to get an accurate image of the heart. The Echocardiogram creates a moving image of the heart that allows the doctor to see how the blood is moving throughout the heart and its size.

Cases from the vaccine were usually mild and when patients took anti-inflammatory medications and rested. Patients would often feel better quickly. Despite this, Cardiologists should always be consulted when myocarditis has been diagnosed for planning return to exercise and sports, even if the patient has no symptoms. Once symptoms improve patients can resume normal daily activities; but they should wait for about 6 months to return to sports and exercise.

However, before returning to exercise, it is recommended that the patient receives an MRI of their heart, an EKG, appropriate blood tests, and wears a heart monitor for two weeks. When wearing the monitor they must exercise to make sure the heart functions properly during physical activity.

Myocarditis from the mRNA COVID-19 vaccine is a serious condition that must be treated by healthcare professionals, but it is extremely rare. The case is usually mild and can be treated easily. However, myocarditis from COVID-19 infection is much more severe, and over a hundred times more likely to occur than myocarditis induced from the vaccine. So while there is a slight chance that you can get myocarditis from the vaccine, receiving the vaccine remains the safer option, as per the National Institute of Health. Afterwards, the vaccine protects you from COVID-19, which decreases your chances of falling prey to a serious side effect from the global epidemic.

Works cited:

Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs (ASPA). (2020, December 12). COVID-19 vaccines. Hhs.gov; US Department of Health and Human Services. https://www.hhs.gov/coronavirus/covid-19-vaccines/index.html

Boehmer, T. K., Kompaniyets, L., Lavery, A. M., Hsu, J., Ko, J. Y., Yusuf, H., Romano, S. D., Gundlapalli, A. V., Oster, M. E., & Harris, A. M. (2021). Association between COVID-19 and myocarditis using hospital-based administrative data - United States, March 2020-January 2021. MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, 70(35), 1228–1232. https://doi.org/10.15585/mmwr.mm7035e5

CDC. (2022, September 20). Possible side effects after getting a COVID-19 vaccine. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/expect/after.html

CDC. (2022, September 27). Myocarditis and pericarditis after mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/vaccines/safety/myocarditis.html

Myocarditis. (2022, May 20). Mayoclinic.org. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/myocarditis/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20352544