Covid-19 Vaccines and Teens: What to Know About Myocarditis Risk

We don’t yet know if temporary heart inflammation is a rare side effect of mRNA vaccination, but it’s possible

Photo: Heather Hazzan/SELF Magazine

As parents consider the risks and benefits of the Covid-19 vaccines for their kids, they may have heard about a heart inflammation condition called myocarditis or pericarditis occurring after some people get the Pfizer or Moderna vaccine. Here’s what you need to know.

What’s the tl;dr?

• There appears to be a higher risk of myocarditis or pericarditis — an inflammation of the heart muscle or its outer lining — in people ages ages 16–30 who get an mRNA vaccine (Pfizer or Moderna).
• The risk varies from 1–25 cases per one million mRNA vaccine doses, depending on the person’s age, which vaccine they get, and whether it’s the first or second dose. (Simplified, the risk about 1 in 50,000.)
• It’s not clear yet if there’s an increased risk for those aged 12–15.
• Symptoms are chest pain, shortness of breath, and/or heart palpitations that occur within a few days of vaccination.
• More than half of people who developed this heart inflammation were male.
• The vast majority of people have fully recovered. (It’s not possible to get a rate of full recovery yet since cases are ongoing as data is collected.)
• The primary treatment for myocarditis is rest, and it typically goes away on its own.
• The risk of a serious problem from myocarditis or pericarditis after vaccination is still much lower than the risk of a severe outcome or death from Covid-19, even in young people.
• Hospitalization rates for Covid-19 have increased in teens, and a third of those hospitalized need intensive care.

What is myocarditis?

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. Pericarditis is inflammation of the lining outside the heart. Inflammation is an immune response in the body, when the immune system sends different cells to the area it thinks is under attack to get rid of the threat. Since vaccines induce an immune response, it’s not uncommon or…