A higher-than-expected number of young men have experienced heart inflammation after their second dose of the mRNA COVID-19 shots from Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna, according to data from two vaccine safety monitoring systems, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) said on Thursday.
The CDC and other health regulators have been investigating heart inflammation cases after Israel’s Health Ministry reported that it had found a likely link to the condition in young men who received Pfizer’s COVID-19 vaccine.
The agency said it is still assessing the risk from the condition and has not yet concluded that there was a causal relationship between the vaccines and cases of myocarditis or pericarditis.
While some patients required hospitalization, most have fully recovered from their symptoms, the CDC said.
More than half of the cases reported to the U.S. Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) after people had received their second dose of either the Pfizer/BioNTech or Moderna vaccines were in people between the ages of 12 and 24, the CDC said. Those age groups accounted for less than 9% of doses administered.
“We clearly have an imbalance there,” Dr. Tom Shimabukuro, deputy director of the CDC’s Immunization Safety Office, said in a presentation to an advisory committee to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration meeting on Thursday.
The overwhelming majority of the cases have occurred within a week of vaccination, Shimabukuro said.
There were 283 observed cases of heart inflammation after the second vaccine dose in those aged 16 to 24 in the VAERS data. That compares with expectations of 10-to-102 cases for that age range based on U.S. population background incidence rates, the CDC said.
Shimabukuro said there was a predominance of males in younger age groups among the reported heart inflammation cases.
The median age of patients who experienced the inflammation after a second vaccine dose was 24, according to the VAERS data. Just under 80% of the cases were in men.
Shimabukuro also said the Vaccine Safety Datalink (VSD) – another safety monitoring system – showed an increased incidence of heart inflammation in 16 to 39 year olds after their second shot when compared to the rate observed after the first dose.
Pfizer said it supports the CDC’s assessment of the heart inflammation cases, noting that “the number of reports is small given the number of doses administered.”
News
The Unresolved Puzzle of Long COVID: 30% of Young People Still Suffer After Two Years
A UCL study found that 70% of young people with long Covid recovered within 24 months, but recovery was less likely among older teenagers, females, and those from deprived backgrounds. Researchers emphasized the need [...]
Needle-Free: New Nano-Vaccine Effective Against All COVID-19 Variants
A new nano-vaccine developed by TAU and the University of Lisbon offers a needle-free, room-temperature-storable solution against COVID-19, targeting all key variants effectively. Professor Ronit Satchi-Fainaro’s lab at Tel Aviv University’s Faculty of Medical and [...]
Photoacoustic PDA-ICG Nanoprobe for Detecting Senescent Cells in Cancer
A study in Scientific Reports evaluated a photoacoustic polydopamine-indocyanine green (PDA-ICG) nanoprobe for detecting senescent cells. Senescent cells play a role in tumor progression and therapeutic resistance, with potential adverse effects such as inflammation and tissue [...]
How Dysregulated Cell Signaling Causes Disease
Cell signaling is crucial for cells to communicate and function correctly. Disruptions in these pathways, caused by genetic mutations or environmental factors, can lead to uncontrolled cell growth, improper immune responses, or errors in [...]
Scientists Develop Super-Strong, Eco-Friendly Plastic That Bacteria Can Eat
Researchers at the Weizmann Institute have developed a biodegradable composite material that could play a significant role in addressing the global plastic waste crisis. Billions of tons of plastic waste clutter our planet. Most [...]
Building a “Google Maps” for Biology: Human Cell Atlas Revolutionizes Medicine
New research from the Human Cell Atlas offers insights into cell development, disease mechanisms, and genetic influences, enhancing our understanding of human biology and health. The Human Cell Atlas (HCA) consortium has made significant [...]
Bioeconomic Potential: Scientists Just Found 140 Reasons to Love Spider Venom
Researchers at the LOEWE Centre for Translational Biodiversity Genomics (TBG) have discovered a significant diversity of enzymes in spider venom, previously overshadowed by the focus on neurotoxins. These enzymes, found across 140 different families, [...]
Quantum Algorithms and the Future of Precision Medicine
Precision medicine is reshaping healthcare by tailoring treatments to individual patients based on their unique genetic, environmental, and lifestyle factors. At the forefront of this revolution, the integration of quantum computing and machine learning [...]
Scientists Have Discovered a Simple Supplement That Causes Prostate Cancer Cells To Self-Destruct
Menadione, a vitamin K precursor, shows promise in slowing prostate cancer in mice by disrupting cancer cell survival processes, with potential applications for human treatment and myotubular myopathy therapy. Prostate cancer is a quiet [...]
Scientists reveal structural link for initiation of protein synthesis in bacteria
Within a cell, DNA carries the genetic code for building proteins. To build proteins, the cell makes a copy of DNA, called mRNA. Then, another molecule called a ribosome reads the mRNA, translating it [...]
Vaping Isn’t Safe: Scientists Uncover Alarming Vascular Risks
Smoking and vaping impair vascular function, even without nicotine, with the most significant effects seen in nicotine-containing e-cigarettes. Researchers recommend avoiding both for better health. Researchers have discovered immediate impacts of cigarette and e-cigarette [...]
Twice-Yearly Lenacapavir for PrEP Reduces HIV Infections by 96%
Twice-yearly injections of the capsid inhibitor drug lenacapavir can prevent the vast majority of HIV infections, according to a Phase 3 clinical trial published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine. HIV pre-exposure [...]
Did Social Distancing Begin 6,000 Years Ago? Neolithic Villagers May Have Invented It
Social distancing may have roots 6,000 years ago, as research shows Neolithic villages like Nebelivka used clustered layouts to control disease spread. The phrase “social distancing” became widely recognized in recent years as people [...]
Decoding Alzheimer’s: The Arctic Mutation’s Role in Unusual Brain Structures
Researchers have uncovered how certain genetic mutations lead to unique spherical amyloid plaques in inherited forms of Alzheimer’s, offering insights that could advance our understanding of the disease and improve therapeutic strategies. An international collaboration [...]
How Your “Lizard Brain” Fuels Overthinking and Social Anxiety
New research by Northwestern Medicine reveals how humans have evolved advanced brain regions to interpret others’ thoughts, connecting these areas with the amygdala, a part of the brain involved in emotional processing. Study sought [...]
How Did Life Begin? Researchers Discover Game-Changing Clue
New research offers a potential explanation for the formation of early Earth protocells. Few questions have captivated humankind more than the mystery of life’s origins on Earth. How did the first living cells emerge? [...]
