Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1453839
According to Ra n Kornowski, MD, fellow researcher at Beilinson Hospital, these findings are significant. He told The Times of Israel that the vaccine has a "proven huge benef it in preventing coronavirus illness and its many conse- quences." He hopes this new research will help more people make an appropriate choice concerning whether or not to undergo vaccination. ASSESSING THE RISK When a link between vaccination and myo c a r d it i s w a s i n it i a l ly p o sit e d , researchers considered reasons why such a link would exist, if it did. To date, the cause of the link is unclear. According to a study reported in the American Heart A ssociation's Circulation, "immune response to mRNA, and activation of immunologic pathways, and dysregulated cytokine expression have been proposed" as possible causes. Compared to the overall risk of myo- carditis (.01–.02%), the additional risk of vaccine-induced myocarditis is small. According to Dr. Witberg's comments to The Times of Israel, this is good news. Seeking Answers W HILE R A RE, THE risk of developing myocarditis via Pfizer-BioNTech vaccination does exist. This should be considered when caring for patients at risk for cardiovascular disease. And while the risk has been confirmed, a number of unanswered questions remain. These include the following: + Would a longer period between vaccine injections reduce the likelihood of myocarditis? + Do young men who develop the disease post-vaccination have other common traits (beyond age and sex) that, if recognized, researchers could exploit to protect other men from post- vaccination myocarditis? + Do other COVID-19 vaccines carry an increased risk of myocarditis similar to the Pfizer-BioNTech offering? "The findings show this is a relatively rare occurrence," he says, "even in the population at greater risk — young men." Contracting COVID-19, on the other hand, increases the risk of myocarditis greatly. Within the United States, the CDC repor t s t hat myoca rd it i s r i sk among hospitalized COVID-19 patients is nearly 16 times (0.146%) that of the general population. Previous research from the Clalit Health Services published in The New England Journal of Medicine found even greater risk. According to their study, individua ls who contract COVID-19 are 18 times more likely to experience subsequent myocarditis than those who do not get infected. BENEFITS OUTWEIGH RISKS While research is ongoing in the United States to determine if myocarditis risk increa ses with the use of Moderna's mRNA vaccine, Dr. Mevorach insists that the benefits of vaccination outweigh risks among individuals age 16 and over. The CDC, A AFP and multiple other national organizations continue to recommend vaccination for COVID-19. n M D N E W S . C O M /// M D N E W S C E N T R A l P E N N S y lVA N i A ■ 2 0 2 2 1 5