Articles related to MYOCARDITIS/PERICARDITIS

Purulent pericarditis, while rare, remains a potentially fatal complication that requires prompt recognition and management, particularly in patients with a history of intravenous drug use.

Recent research indicates that myocarditis and pericarditis occur solely in vaccinated children and adolescents, not in those infected with COVID-19. Despite higher risks of heart inflammation, vaccinated adolescents showed reduced rates of COVID-19 infection and severe outcomes.

This review with case example explores pericarditis and myocarditis and implications on limiting exercise. The authors summarize relevant guidelines and provide their own conclusion and guidance. They offer a helpful algorithm combining the ESC, ACC, and AHA guidelines and suggest an additional element around limiting heart rate during an acute inflammatory episode.

A new study published in Pediatrics concludes that there is a quick clinical recovery and excellent short-term outcomes for adolescents who develop COVID-19-related vaccination-associated myocarditis (C-VAM). The average age in the study was 15, and close follow-up and further studies are needed to understand the long-term implications and mechanism of these myocardial tissue changes.

The data was presented to the FDA, which reported 789 cases of myocarditis/pericarditis – predominantly in males – after receiving the Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna vaccines, most commonly after the second dose. Symptoms included chest pain, elevated cardiac enzymes, ST or T wave changes, dyspnea, and abnormal echocardiography/imaging for those ages 30 years and younger.

Since April 2021, there have been reports of myocarditis and/or pericarditis after receipt of an m-RNA COVID-19 vaccine, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) . Most cases have been among male adolescents and young adults ages 16 and older, typically occurring within several days after the second dose of m-RNA COVID-19 vaccine.