"The COVID vaccines have saved millions of lives from a virus that has killed more than seven million people globally. Many safety studies and real-world evidence from billions of doses show that the shots are extremely safe and effective. But in rare cases, messenger RNA (mRNA) vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, or inflammation of the heart musclemystifying scientists and clinicians. Now a new study in mice and cultured human cells could explain why."
"The series of experiments, described today in Science Translational Medicine, measured damage from two particular cytokines, or signaling proteins, that are known to promote inflammation. Doctors in the U.S. and Israel first reported COVID-vaccine-related myocarditis in 2021; the majority of cases have been seen in teenage boys and men under the age of 30. Within days of a shot, affected people experienced symptoms that included chest pain, shortness of breath, fever and heart palpitations."
The COVID vaccines have prevented millions of deaths from a virus that has killed over seven million people worldwide. Extensive safety studies and real-world data from billions of doses confirm high safety and effectiveness. Rarely, mRNA vaccines have been linked to myocarditis, an inflammation of the heart muscle. Experiments in mice and cultured human cells identified immune-response activity triggered by mRNA vaccines and measured damage caused by two cytokines that promote inflammation; this activity can temporarily damage heart tissue at sufficiently high concentrations. Most vaccine-related myocarditis cases occur in teenage boys and men under 30, with symptoms appearing within days. Overall risk is very low—about one in 140,000 after the first dose—and most patients recover within months with supportive care; no specific therapy exists.
Read at www.scientificamerican.com
Unable to calculate read time
Collection
[
|
...
]