June 7, 2021

Symptomatic Acute Myocarditis in Seven Adolescents Following Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccination

Category: Article Summary

Topic: Vaccines and Immunity

Keywords (Tags): vaccine

• Reports from seven cases of acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart) or myopericarditis among adolescent males who developed chest pain within four days of receiving the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine and were hospitalized found that six of seven patients had negative SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid antibody assays (indicating no prior infection), and all patients’ symptoms resolved quickly. Three patients were treated with non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and 4 received intravenous immune globulin and corticosteroids. Diagnostic evaluation for other myocarditis etiologies, including respiratory pathogens from nasopharyngeal swabs, and diagnostics for other infectious agents, were all negative. 

Marshall et al. (June 4, 2021). Symptomatic Acute Myocarditis in Seven Adolescents Following Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccination. Pediatrics. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2021-052478