Oregon study finds no clear link between mRNA vaccines and sudden cardiac death in young people

In a recent study published in Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR)), A group of researchers will conduct a study on messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination and cardiovascular disease in Oregon residents ages 16 to 30 between June 2021 and December 2022. We investigated the relationship with sudden death.

study: Risk assessment of sudden cardiac death in adolescents and young adults after COVID-19 vaccination — Oregon, June 2021 to December 2022. Image credit: wacomka / Shutterstock

background

In December 2020, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) authorized two mRNA coronavirus disease (mRNA) vaccines, initially to be allocated to U.S. healthcare workers and long-term care residents, and later to be distributed to seniors and adults. Assigned to people with high-risk medical conditions. , before including healthy young individuals. By April 2021, all Oregonians 16 and older were eligible. Shortly thereafter, an incidence of myocarditis, particularly in young men, was reported, with an estimated incidence of 2.13 per 100,000, rising to 10.69 in young Israeli men. These cases were generally mild and recovered quickly after hospitalization. Although there were no reports of fatal myocarditis in the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) in Oregon, the young athlete's sudden death raised concerns and prompted further research to determine a link to the vaccine. It became necessary.

About research

Under Oregon law, each death requires a complete death certificate maintained in a system that meets data quality standards set by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) National Center for Health Statistics, including rigorous quality assurance reviews. must be retained. Although there is no independent verification of the completeness of death certificate reporting, data on Oregon residents who die out of state is also collected through an interstate compact. Additionally, the ALERT Immunization Information System (IIS), which serves as Oregon's comprehensive immunization registry, required reporting of all COVID-19 vaccinations during the pandemic.

To investigate the occurrence of sudden cardiac deaths that may be related to recent COVID-19 vaccinations, researchers analyzed Oregon's death certificate database. They will focus on identifying individuals between the ages of 16 and 30 who died between June 1, 2021 and December 31, 2022, with causes of death including “sudden death” and “cardiac arrest.” , “cardiac arrest,” “unknown,” and other terms were included. For cases with a likely cardiac cause, the team cross-referenced with ALERT IIS to determine if the deceased had received an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine on time. The study was conducted 100 days before the deaths, the findings also took into account gender differences, and the agency said the activity was not a study and was conducted in accordance with federal law and state policy.

research result

From June 2021 to December 2022, Oregon recorded a total of 1,292 deaths between the ages of 16 and 30, with 72% (925) of the deaths being male and 28% (925) being female. 367 people).

None of the men's death certificates identified vaccination as the direct cause or cause of death. New coronavirus infection was cited as the cause of 17 (2%) of the male deaths. The majority of male deaths, 842 (91%), were due to noncardiac causes or other diseases. However, in 66 (7%) of the cases, cardiac causes could not be excluded based on information on the death certificate. Within this subset, vaccination records were available for 58 (88%) of whom 24 (41%) had received at least one dose of an mRNA COVID-19 vaccine. Of these 24 people, 2 died within 100 days after vaccination. The first case involved a man who died 21 days after receiving the vaccine from congestive heart failure with conditions including high blood pressure, obesity, diabetes and sleep apnea. The second case was recorded 45 days after vaccination, and the toxicology report was negative for common illicit drugs but positive for prescription drugs, so it was classified as undetermined natural causes. . The coroner could not definitively link vaccines as a contributing factor or rule out the possibility.

Similarly, no death certificate for the woman listed vaccination as a cause. COVID-19 infection was observed in 13 (4%) of her cases. The majority, 319 (87%), had a non-cardiac cause listed on the death certificate. For the remaining 35 (10%), cardiac causes could not be ruled out, but vaccination records were available for 30 (86%) and 16 (53%) had at least one dose of mRNA COVID. -19 vaccinations were received. Only one woman, who died 4 days after vaccination, was recorded as a natural death, with the immediate cause unknown but related to chronic respiratory failure due to mitral stenosis.

conclusion

In summary, data from 40 U.S. health systems from January 2021 to January 2022 shows that cardiac complications after COVID-19 infection are more likely to occur in people aged 5 years and older than after mRNA vaccination. It was shown that the number of occurrences was significantly higher. From June 2021 to December 2022, Oregon had 1,292 resident deaths between the ages of 16 and 30, none of which were conclusively linked to cardiac causes immediately after vaccination. During this period, 979,289 vaccines were administered to this group. Of the 30 people who have died from COVID-19, only three had been vaccinated. Nationally, vaccination is thought to have prevented about 3.2 million deaths in the first two years.