Myocarditis and Pericarditis Following mRNA COVID-19 Vaccination: What Do We Know So Far?

Abstract

This is a cross-sectional study of 29 published cases of acute myopericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. The most common presentation was chest pain within 1–5 days after the second dose of mRNA COVID-19 vaccination. All patients had an elevated troponin. Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging revealed late gadolinium enhancement consistent with myocarditis in 69% of cases. All patients recovered clinically rapidly within 1–3 weeks. Most patients were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs for symptomatic relief, and 4 received intravenous immune globulin and corticosteroids. We speculate a possible causal relationship between vaccine administration and myocarditis. The data from our analysis confirms that all myocarditis and pericarditis cases are mild and resolve within a few days to few weeks. The bottom line is that the risk of cardiac complications among children and adults due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection far exceeds the minimal and rare risks of vaccination-related transient myocardial or pericardial inflammation.

Keywords

• COVID-19 vaccine
• myocarditis
• pericarditis