(Photo: Fabian Sommer/picture alliance via Getty Images)
Mild cases of heart inflammation may be a rare side effect of the COVID-19 vaccine as federal disease investigators at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention are conducting more research into the issue.
Heart inflammation, also called myocarditis, is more common in young men and teenage boys after they receive their second shot of Pfizer or Moderna. However, COVID-19 is still a much bigger threat to the heart than myocarditis, according to health experts.
So far, the CDC has identified 29 cases of myocarditis or pericarditis among 12 to 39 years olds, in the 21 days after their first or second vaccine dose.
The CDC, Department of Health and Human Services, American Medical Association, and 14 other leading medical and public health associations said in a joint statement Wednesday that this is an extremely rare side effect, and only an exceedingly small number of people will experience it after vaccination.
“Importantly, for the young people who do, most cases are mild, and individuals recover often on their own or with minimal treatment,” the statement reads. “In addition, we know that myocarditis and pericarditis are much more common if you get COVID-19, and the risks to the heart from COVID-19 infection can be more severe.”
Most cases of myocarditis surface in the first five days after a COVID-19 shot is administered. Symptoms include chest pain, shortness of breath, and feelings of having a fast-beating, fluttering or pounding heart.