Pentagon to track 14 cases of cardiac inflammation in the military after COVID-19 shots

The Defense Department is tracking 14 cases of cardiac inflammation or myocarditis in healthy military patients who developed symptoms after receiving either the Pfizer or Modelna COVID-19 vaccine.

Rare disorders usually caused by viruses are associated with COVID-19. However, after receiving many reports from Israel about patients developing inflammation related to vaccination, the Israeli Ministry of Health is exploring possible links, Israeli Channel 12 said Friday. Reported to. According to The Jerusalem Post..

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle, which can reduce the function of the heart and cause arrhythmias. The first report of myocarditis in patients receiving the COVID-19 vaccine Published in Israel on February 1st..

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Another case of myocarditis in a 39-year-old man Reported to the Spanish Journal of Cardiology In early March.

DoD has been tracking cases of myocarditis since March, according to spokeswoman Peter Graves.

Of the 14 patients, one patient who was positive for COVID-19 three months ago developed myocarditis after the first dose of the vaccine. The remaining 13 patients developed myocarditis after the second vaccination. Eleven people were vaccinated with Moderna vaccine. The three got Pfizer.

Washington DC member Military.com reporter Steve Bainon, 30, National GuardIs one of 14 military patients who developed myocarditis after the second dose of Moderna vaccine. He was admitted to the Walterlead National Military Medical Center in February and spent nearly three days in the ICU before returning to work and then performing National Guard missions.

Marcus Weissgerber, 39, a Pentagon reporter civilian, developed myocarditis after Pfizer’s second shot and spent two days in the hospital. Weisgerber, writing for DefenseOne, is married to Military.com reporter Oriana Pawlyk.

Israel is reportedly investigating the link between myocarditis and the Pfizer vaccine. Of the more than 5 million vaccines given in Israel, 62 cases of myocarditis were recorded days after vaccination. Most were found in men under the age of 30. Fifty-six of the 62 cases occurred after the second vaccination.

A review by Military.com of the Food and Drug Administration’s Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) database as of Friday showed at least 45 reports of myocarditis after the COVID-19 vaccine. The majority of cases occurred after the second dose, with 19 reported after the Pfizer vaccine and 26 after the Modana vaccine.

Over 62% of reported American cases were male, and most were between the ages of 20 and 45. In one report, a 19-year-old man developed symptoms of myocarditis (chest pain, malaise, shortness of breath). A few days after receiving his first dose; the reporting party described his case as “vaccine syndrome after COVID-19”.

“Causality cannot be ruled out based on the temporal relationship between currently available information and the use of produce and the start date of the event,” the VAERS reporter wrote.

VAERS officials said that reports of post-vaccination illness or health problems do not indicate that the vaccine caused or caused the condition, but that the illness was associated with vaccination. It emphasizes that it only indicates that it has occurred.

“The report may contain incomplete, inaccurate, accidental, or unverifiable information. In most cases, reporting to VAERS is optional and can be biased. This imposes certain restrictions on how the data can be used scientifically. ”Notes on that web page.

FDA spokeswoman Abby Capobianco said Monday that the FDA and the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have not seen “a new safety signal for myocarditis after the administration of the approved COVID-19 vaccine.”

“Post-approval safety monitoring during the COVID-19 pandemic vaccination program aims to continuously monitor the safety of the COVID-19 vaccine and to detect any safety issues quickly. If the FDA and CDC identify new safety signals through this safety monitoring, that information will be communicated to the public, “she added.

According to the CDC, the United States has administered more than 228 million COVID-19 vaccines of all types, including Pfizer, Modana, Johnson & Johnson.

The Pentagon administers 2,713,640 COVID-19 vaccines, and myocarditis is diagnosed in .000516% of the group.

According to Graves, the Department of Defense Health is proud of medical professionals who have referred young, healthy and healthy patients for heart assessment. This is a decision derived from compliance with the ACAM2000 smallpox vaccine.

In 2003, at least 10 military personnel and several civilians developed myocarditis after vaccination. The two died of a heart attack. The CDC has taken steps to encourage people with known heart disease to avoid smallpox vaccination.

“We commend medical professionals in the military medical system for considering a cardiac assessment …. After diagnosis, these vaccination-related adverse events were temporarily submitted to the CDC’s VAERS, and then to the CDC. Attracted the attention of the COVID-19 Safety Technology Subgroup of. “Graves said.

He added that discussions are underway among experts in the subject area.

According to the National Organization for Rare Disorders, myocarditis is most often diagnosed in young adults aged 20-40 years. According to the NORD, men develop myocarditis more often than women. This is “probably due to the effect of testosterone on the immune response to infection.”

Although this condition is treatable, it can cause heart attacks, strokes, and chronic thickening of the heart muscle. Recovery can take weeks, depending on the initial reason for development, but can also last for months, in patients who engage in or exercise physical activity such as military training or exercise. Reduces ability.

Patients with military myocarditis are advised not to exercise for 3-6 months. Limits carbohydrates and sugar to reduce inflammation. And limit to one or less alcoholic beverages per day.

According to a service member’s discharge instruction, “no PT, exercise, march, or training will be done for the next 6 months.”

According to a report from Channel 12 and the subsequent Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Ministry of Health contacted Pfizer, stating that “similar findings have not been detected in other parts of the world at this time.”

The post also reported that two women, a 22-year-old woman and a 35-year-old man, died as a result of post-vaccination heart-related problems.

Moderna did not respond to an email sent by Military.com on February 23 regarding a military incident. The company also did not respond to subsequent requests for information or interviews.

Pfizer did not respond to a request for comment on Friday.

As reported by Channel 12 and The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli Ministry of Health estimates that one in 20,000 young men developed myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination.

“The development of myocarditis is likely to be associated with vaccination, especially the second vaccination,” the report said.

Graves told experts that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s Vaccination and Health Department’s Clinical Support Center, VAERS, and the CDC’s safety group “are serving their intended purpose-monitoring signals for unexpected adverse events.” He said he was consulting.

“It’s important to remember that medical events that occur or worsen during the vaccine period do not mean that the vaccine was involved,” Graves said.

He added that reports of myocarditis after COVID-19 vaccination do not change the Department of Defense’s recommendation that all patients in the military health system be vaccinated “as soon as possible”.

“Remember that COVID-19 infection can affect multiple organ systems in the body, including the heart, even in people who have no significant symptoms or who were asymptomatic at the time of COVID-19 infection. It’s important to keep it, “says Graves. “Evidence available in peer-reviewed literature suggests that the cardiac risk of complications is clearly higher in patients with COVID-19 disease, as opposed to the potential risk of COVID-19 vaccine. . “

Pfizer and Modelna vaccines utilize new technology that uses messenger RNA to direct cells to see peaplomers in the COVID-19 coronavirus and provoke an immune response.

mRNA is broken down by cells, and the peplomer itself is broken down by the body as it leaves the cell, which the immune system is trained to recognize and respond to any exposure.

The CDC should contact a doctor after vaccination if the redness or tenderness at the vaccinated site worsens after 24 hours, or if “side effects are a concern or do not seem to heal after a few days”. Is recommended.

All military patients experienced chest pain 12 to 96 hours after vaccination, Graves said.

As of Monday, more than 486,000 U.S. military personnel, or 23% of the total army, including reserves and National Guard, were fully vaccinated.

Since the inception of the pandemic, DoD has recorded more than 284,000 cases of COVID-19, including military, family, employees and contractors. Of these, 344 were killed, including 24 troops and 12 dependents.

-Patricia Caim can be reached at [email protected].. Follow her on Twitter @ patriciakime.

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