Al-Anbar Medical Journal (Jun 2023)
Myocarditis Related-COVID-19 mRNA Vaccination: A Narrative Review
Abstract
The unprecedented impact of the coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19) pandemic on society and the global economy has highlighted the urgent need for an effective and safe vaccine. One of the very rare side effects of this vaccine is myocarditis, which was realized to be a terrible complication of the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine. A recent study showed an increase in 1824 events of myocarditis reported to VAERS, 383 (21.00%) reported after receiving a single dose of vaccine, then 956 (52.41%) after injection of the second dose. The most common complaint is chest pain that appears within 1 week after the injection. Young and male patients have a high incidence. The pathophysiology of post-mRNA vaccination myocarditis remains unclear, with one study hypothesizing it to be due to hypersensitivity myocarditis and another study suggesting another possible mechanism is molecular mimicry. The main aim of this literature review is to improve knowledge, prevention, and management, as well as determine the incidence between the COVID-19 mRNA vaccine and myocarditis.
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