Corona virus: At least 11 times greater risk of myocarditis for unvaccinated people

The risk of developing myocarditis after a Covid-19 infection in unvaccinated people is at least 11 times greater compared to those who develop myocarditis after their vaccination, a large British study shows.

More generally, according to the research, the risk of myocarditis is greater after an infection due to coronavirus than after vaccination for him. The risk remains small after even booster doses of mRNA vaccines, while it is somewhat increased only in young men, especially after a second dose of Moderna vaccine.

Several previous studies have found evidence of a small chance of myocarditis after mRNA vaccine against the coronavirus. Myocarditis, usually caused after a viral infection, is inflammation of the middle layer of the heart muscle wall, the myocardium.

It is rare and can lead to temporary or permanent weakening of the myocardium and the electrical system of the heart, which can lead to damage of the latter. In the general population, during a non-pandemic period, an estimated 10 to 20 people per 100,000 are diagnosed with myocarditis each year, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

The new study, led by Dr Martina Patone of the University of Oxford, published in the AHA’s cardiology journal Circulation, analyzed data on nearly 43 million people in England over the age of 13 (more than 21 million had also had a booster dose ), while almost 6 million had been diagnosed with coronavirus.

“In such a large sample, essentially the entire vaccinated population of England, we found that the risk of myocarditis after vaccination against Covid-19 was very small compared to the risk of myocarditis after Covid-19 infection,” Patone said.

More specifically, it was found that:

• A total of 2,861 people (0.007% of the total) were hospitalized or died due to myocarditis during the study period (December 2020-December 2021) and, of these, 617 were cases that occurred within the month following their vaccination (514 required hospitalization).
• Those infected with the coronavirus before being vaccinated had an 11 times greater risk of myocarditis within the next month than those diagnosed with a test.
• The risk of myocarditis due to Covid-19 was halved for those who contracted the coronavirus after being vaccinated.
• The risk of myocarditis was slightly increased after mRNA vaccine (especially Moderna in people under 40 years of age), but remained lower compared to the risk of myocarditis after Covid-19 infection.

Professor of Cardiology Nicholas Mills of the University of Edinburgh said: “It is important for the public to understand that myocarditis is rare and that the risk of it occurring after a Cocid-19 vaccine is also rare. This risk should be weighed against the benefits of Covid-19 vaccines in preventing severe Covid-19 infection.”

RES-EMP

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