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. 2018 Mar 14;36(12):1524-1527.
doi: 10.1016/j.vaccine.2018.02.030. Epub 2018 Feb 15.

Myocarditis and pericarditis are rare following live viral vaccinations in adults

Jennifer Kuntz  1 , Bradley Crane  1 , Sheila Weinmann  1 , Allison L Naleway  2 ; Vaccine Safety Datalink Investigator Team  1
Affiliations

Myocarditis and pericarditis are rare following live viral vaccinations in adults

Jennifer Kuntz et al. Vaccine. .

Abstract

Reports of myocarditis and pericarditis following smallpox vaccination in adults suggested a need to assess inflammatory cardiac disease risk among adults who receive live viral vaccinations. From 1996 through 2007, among 416,629 vaccinated adults in the Vaccine Safety Datalink, we identified one probable pericarditis case and no cases of myocarditis in the 42 days following a live viral vaccination. Our self-controlled risk interval analysis found that, based on one case identified during the risk interval and 10 cases during the control interval, there is no increased risk of myopericarditis in the 42 days following vaccination (IRR, 0.57; 95% CI, 0.07, 4.51). Our study suggests that the occurrence of myopericarditis following live viral vaccination is rare with an estimated incidence of 0.24 per 100,000 vaccinated, which is not higher than the background rate and is much lower than the incidence rates reported following smallpox vaccination.

Keywords: Myocarditis; Pericarditis; Vaccination adverse effects.

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Figures

Fig. 1.
Fig. 1.
Identification and validation of myocarditis and pericarditis cases following live viral vaccination.
Fig. 2.
Fig. 2.
Distribution of myocarditis (n = 18) and pericarditis (n = 54) cases over time since live viral vaccination.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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