Cardiovascular complications of COVID-19 vaccines: A review of case-report and case-series studies.
Mohammad Hossein Paknahad, Fatereh Baharlouei Yancheshmeh, Azam Soleimani
PMID 36842342WHAT IT FOUND
Across 100 case reports or case series after COVID-19 vaccination, myocarditis and pericarditis were most often reported, mainly after mRNA vaccines and in men aged 16 to 39.
Most improved with rest and medication, but these reports cannot show how often vaccines cause heart problems.
Key findings
01The review included 100 case reports or case series of cardiac complications after COVID-19 vaccination.
02Myocarditis was reported more often after mRNA vaccines than non-mRNA vaccines, more often after the second dose, and in men aged 16 to 39 years.
03The review found no reports of Takotsubo cardiomyopathy after inactivated COVID-19 vaccines.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
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What it does not show
The evidence comes from case reports and case series, not from a study with a comparison group, so it cannot show how often cardiac events happen or prove that vaccines caused them. The authors included only English case reports and case series published up to January 2022, and they excluded reviews, clinical trials, cohort studies, and unavailable full texts. The authors state that reporting bias may affect the results because mRNA vaccines were more available in developed countries. For myocardial infarction, the paper says no exact statistics were found.
Declared interests
The authors declared no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work.
The easy way to misread this
Do not read the mRNA pattern as proof that mRNA vaccines caused these events or that the events are common. The paper combines case reports and case series without a comparison group, and the authors warn of reporting bias.