Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Multicenter Study
. 2025 Mar 1;26(3):143-152.
doi: 10.2459/JCM.0000000000001693. Epub 2025 Feb 4.

Myocarditis and pericarditis during COVID-19 pandemic: a study of the Italian Society of Cardiology

Lucia Ilaria Birtolo  1 , Gianluca Di Pietro  1 , Fabrizio D'Ascenzo  2 , Giuditta Cuccuru  2 , Enrico Fabris  3 , Marco Merlo  3 , Alessandro Andreis  2 , Alida Linda Patrizia Caforio  4 , Matteo Cameli  5 , Riccardo Improta  1 , Gianluca Campo  6 , Gaetano Maria De Ferrari  2 , Michele Emdin  7 , Alfredo Ruggero Galassi  8 , Sabino Iliceto  4 , Massimo Imazio  9 , Biancamaria D'Agata Mottolese  10 , Italo Porto  11 , Roberta Montisci  12 , Giuseppina Novo  8 , Daniela Pavan  13 , Carmine Dario Vizza  1 , Viviana Maestrini  1 , Cristina Basso  14 , Pasquale Perrone Filardi  15 , Gianfranco Sinagra  3 , Massimo Mancone  1
Affiliations
Multicenter Study

Myocarditis and pericarditis during COVID-19 pandemic: a study of the Italian Society of Cardiology

Lucia Ilaria Birtolo et al. J Cardiovasc Med (Hagerstown). .

Abstract

Aims: Some studies about myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 vaccination raised concerns worldwide. However, the heterogeneous diagnostic criteria for postvaccination inflammatory heart diseases may result in overestimating incidence rates. The aim of this multicentre Italian registry is to evaluate the impact of COVID-19 vaccines on the incidence of myocarditis and pericarditis in the Italian population.

Methods: Consecutive patients admitted to Italian hospitals for endomyocardial and/or cardiac magnetic resonance proven acute myocarditis and/or pericarditis in the same period (1 June-31 October) of 2019 and 2021 were enrolled, irrespective of the potential association with the COVID-19 vaccines. Acute pericarditis and/or myocarditis were defined as 'vaccine-related' if clinical presentation occurred within 15 days after COVID-19 vaccination, independently of the dose.

Results: There was a comparable incidence rate ratio (IRR) for inflammatory heart diseases in 2019 and 2021 (2019: IRR 0.67 versus 2021: IRR 0.74, P = 0.45). In particular, the IRR did not differ in myocardial involvement (2019: IRR 0.33 versus 2021: IRR 0.33, P = 1) and pericarditis (2019: IRR 0.37 versus 2021: IRR 0.49, P = 0.09) in both periods. Among 125 cases registered in 2021, 32 (25.6%) were 'vaccine-related'. Among those who experienced 'vaccine-related' myocarditis and/or pericarditis, men with age under 40 years were over-represented (53.12%, P = 0.021).

Conclusion: In a nationwide Italian survey comparing pandemic with prepandemic periods, the overall data do not indicate significant concerns about an increased incidence of pericarditis and myocarditis, suggesting that the vaccine is generally well tolerated for these specific conditions.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Tschöpe C, Ammirati E, Bozkurt B, Caforio ALP, Cooper LT, Felix SB, et al. Myocarditis and inflammatory cardiomyopathy: current evidence and future directions. Nat Rev Cardiol 2021; 18:169–193.
    1. Cipriani M, Merlo M, Gabrielli D, Ammirati E, Autore C, Basso C, et al. Documento di consenso ANMCO/SIC sulla gestione delle miocarditi [ANMCO/SIC Consensus document on the management of myocarditis]. G Ital Cardiol 2020; 21:969–989.
    1. Su JR, McNeil MM, Welsh KJ, Marquez PL, Ng C, Yan M, et al. Myopericarditis after vaccination, Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS), 1990-2018. Vaccine 2021; 39:839–845.
    1. Diaz GA, Parsons GT, Gering SK, Meier AR, Hutchinson IV, Robicsek A. Myocarditis and pericarditis after vaccination for COVID-19. JAMA 2021; 326:1210–1212.
    1. Marshall M, Ferguson ID, Lewis P, Jaggi P, Gagliardo C, Collins JS, et al. Symptomatic acute myocarditis in 7 adolescents after Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 vaccination. Pediatrics 2021; 148:e2021052478.

Publication types

Substances