Perimyocarditis following first dose of the mRNA-1273 SARS-CoV-2 (Moderna) vaccine in a healthy young male: a case report

• Main Authors: Ammar A. Hasnie, Usman A. Hasnie, Nirav Patel, Muhammad U. Aziz, Min Xie, Steven G. Lloyd, Sumanth D. Prabhu
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: BMC 2021-08-01
• Series: BMC Cardiovascular Disorders
• Subjects: COVID-19; Myopericarditis; Cardiac MRI; ECG; Case report
• Online Access: https://doi.org/10.1186/s12872-021-02183-3

Abstract Background Half of U.S. adults have received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccines produced by either Pfizer, Moderna, or Johnson and Johnson, which represents a major milestone in the ongoing pandemic. Given the emergency use authorizations for these vaccines, their side effects and safety were assessed over a compressed time period. Hence, ongoing monitoring for vaccine-related adverse events is imperative for a full understanding and delineation of their safety profile. Case presentation An 22-year-old Caucasian male presented to our hospital center complaining of pleuritic chest pain. Six months prior he had a mild case of COVID-19, but was otherwise healthy. He had received his first dose of the Moderna vaccine three days prior to developing symptoms. Laboratory analysis revealed a markedly elevated troponin and multiple imaging modalities during his hospitalization found evidence of wall motion abnormalities consistent with a diagnosis of perimyocarditis. He was started on aspirin and colchicine with marked improvement of his symptoms prior to discharge. Conclusions We present a case of perimyocarditis that was temporally related to COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in an young male with prior COVID-19 infection but otherwise healthy. Our case report highlights an albeit rare but important adverse event for clinicians to be aware of. It also suggests a possible mechanism for the development of myocardial injury in our patient.