Articles related to MYOCARDITIS/PERICARDITIS

A man in his early 30s presenting with post-viral chest pain and bilateral forearm numbness posed a diagnostic challenge when automated ECG interpretation missed findings later consistent with acute pericarditis, including diffuse concave-upward ST elevation, PR depression, and a positive Spodick sign.

A Senate investigative report alleged that federal health officials received early signals of myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in adolescents and young adults months before public advisories were issued, citing internal agency communications and subpoenaed HHS documents.

Dr. Joseph Wu, the study’s lead author and director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute: “These two cytokines cause inflammation to the blood vessels. They could cause inflammation to the heart.”

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.