October 23, 2024, 8:10 pm | Read time: 4 minutes
More and more undesirable side effects and possible late effects of coronavirus vaccinations are coming to light. According to a new study, there could be a link between the mRNA vaccines administered during the coronavirus pandemic and scarring of the heart muscle.
For many months, vaccinations against the coronavirus were considered an important measure in the effort to contain the pandemic or at least prevent a severe course of the disease in those vaccinated. To this end, mRNA vaccines were approved in the EU for the first time in December 2020. Their advantage: compared to conventional vaccines – the development of which first requires the time-consuming cultivation of large quantities of viruses, their activation, and so on – vaccines of the more modern kind can be developed and mass-produced more quickly. Too quickly, many people feared at the time, and also that the possible late effects of the treatment could not be foreseen at this speed. It is precisely this field that has been occupying researchers for some time now. And according to a recent study, heart scarring could be one of the consequences of coronavirus vaccinations1
Overview
Do coronavirus vaccinations lead to heart scarring? Study suggests so
In their study, the researchers investigated the possible long-term consequences of myocardial inflammation caused by coronavirus vaccinations. The finding is abbreviated in the paper as (C-VAM), for “vaccine-associated myocarditis.” FITBOOK has already reported in more detail on the connection, which is apparently mainly observed in young men between the ages of 14 and 30. An excessive immune reaction caused by mRNA vaccines is being discussed as the cause.
What implications does this have for the future of those affected? Could the inflammation of the heart muscle (myocarditis) leave behind permanent traces? These questions, along with the clinical characteristics of the acute illness, were of concern to the researchers.
Procedure for the investigation
They conducted the study with people under 30 years of age in a total of 38 US institutions who had been diagnosed with acute myocarditis following coronavirus vaccination. They also took into account demographic data and the general health history of the test subjects, who were divided into groups depending on whether they were between five and 15 or between 16 and 30 years old at the time of receiving the mRNA vaccination.
In order to detect possible permanent damage to the heart, the researchers analyzed various clinical biomarkers of the test subjects – including those that would indicate systemic inflammation or heart failure, for example. A particular focus was placed on the troponin levels of the young men. The protein troponin is found in the heart muscles; an elevated value indicates damage to the heart and various diseases of the heart.2 The researchers examined the test subjects for cardiac arrhythmia and comparable symptoms and finally generated detailed images of their hearts using CMR scans. This allowed for the identification of any injuries and heart scarring, as well as increased blood flow, which may also indicate potential damage.
Results
The researchers made a number of discoveries. For example, they found that the majority of adolescent C-VAM patients (95 percent) had received the mRNA vaccine from Pfizer-BioNTech. The other five percent had received the vaccine from Moderna.
With regard to the specific topic discussed here, the imaging procedures and further evaluations had shown that some of the test subjects had developed cardiac scarring. Around 72 percent of them showed signs of scarring or myocardial edema (fluid infiltration in the heart muscle). This was often accompanied by cardiovascular symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, and shortness of breath.
Significance
Above all, the researchers explain that the findings justify long-term clinical monitoring of the patients. This is because it raises questions about possible long-term negative effects on the heart health of those affected. In summary, however, the study authors consider the risk to be low.
Coronavirus vaccinations are now perceived by some as increasingly controversial. However, it should not be forgotten that Covid-19 diseases can also have serious long-term consequences. FITBOOK recently reported on a study in which permanent intestinal damage was found many years after the coronavirus infection. Long Covid should also not be forgotten, which can develop from a coronavirus infection, can sometimes last for years, and can be accompanied by sometimes severe symptoms. Ten percent of Covid sufferers develop long Covid.3 As diagnosis is not easy due to the many possible symptoms, the number of unreported cases could be significantly higher.
To this day, supporters of the vaccination campaign also emphasize that it could prevent severe disease progression and overloading of hospitals during the pandemic.
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Study limitations
The researchers point out the retrospective nature of their study. This means that only retrospective examinations of the test subjects’ condition were possible. Scans from the time of their acute illness were mainly available from men who were suffering from severe myocarditis at the time – they were eventually hospitalized. However, the observed heart scarring was found the least in test subjects with a mild form of myocarditis.