A new study published today found that patients who received the Pfizer vaccine also known as BNT162b2 were three times more likely than uninfected patients to develop carditis.

Case-control research indicated that, despite the low absolute risk, the BNT162b2 (commonly known as Pfizer/BioNTech vaccine) vaccine is associated with an increased relative risk of carditis.

Given the significantly increased risk in teens following the second dose, vaccination regimens may need to examine the risk and benefits for different sub-populations on a continuous basis, rather than assuming a “one-size-fits-all” strategy, according to the study.

Carditis is an uncommon kind of cardiac inflammation brought on by bacterial, viral, or parasite infections. Myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle, and pericarditis, an inflammation of the heart’s outer lining, are two common subtypes of carditis. Carditis cases following Pfizer vaccine have been reported all over the world. Several other investigations have found similar results, although analytic study on the potential link is limited.

To investigate the potential risk of carditis linked with vaccination with BNT162b2 or CoronaVac, researchers from the University of Hong Kong evaluated 160 case patients (with carditis) and 1,533 control patients (without carditis).

On the basis of age, sex, and date of hospital admission, ten control patients were matched with ten case-patients. Following their investigations, the authors discovered 20 cases of carditis linked to BNT162b2 and 7 to CoronaVac vaccine.

Patients who got BNT162b2 were three times more likely than uninfected patients to develop carditis. Patients who received CoronaVac, on the other hand, had a similar likelihood of contracting carditis as those who had not been vaccinated.

The authors also discovered that the risk increase related to BNT162b2 was more likely to be evident after the second dose in males.

Carditis occurred 0.57 times per 100,000 doses of BNT162b2 and 0.31 times per 100,000 doses of CoronaVac, indicating a very low absolute risk of carditis following vaccination.

According to the authors, none of the 20 patients who had carditis after receiving BNT162b2 vaccination was admitted to the ICU or died during the observation period, compared to 14 of 133 unvaccinated patients who were brought to the ICU and 12 deaths.

Source: 10.7326/M21-3700

Image Credit: Getty

You were reading: Study finds 20 cases of carditis after second dose of Pfizer vaccine