COVID-19-Associated Acute Myocarditis Reported in 2.4 Per 1,000 Patients

MONDAY, April 11, 2022 (HealthDay News) -- Acute myocarditis (AM) occurs in 2.4 per 1,000 patients hospitalized for COVID-19, according to a study published in the April 12 issue of Circulation.

Enrico Ammirati, M.D., Ph.D., from Niguarda Hospital in Milan, Italy, and colleagues examined the prevalence of COVID-19-associated AM in a retrospective cohort from 23 hospitals in the United States and Europe. Among 56,963 hospitalized patients with COVID-19, 112 patients with suspected AM were evaluated between Feb. 1, 2020, and April 30, 2021. Overall, 97 patients were identified with possible AM; among these, 54 patients had definite/probable AM.

The researchers found that among hospitalized patients with COVID-19, the prevalence of AM was 2.4 per 1,000 hospitalizations considering definite/probable AM and 4.1 per 1,000 also considering possible AM. The median age was 38 years for definite/probable cases; 38.9 percent were female. Chest pain and dyspnea were the most frequent symptoms on admission (55.5 and 53.7 percent, respectively). Overall, 57.4 percent of cases occurred in the absence of COVID-19-associated pneumonia. Twenty-one of the patients (38.9 percent) had a fulminant presentation, which necessitated inotropic support or temporary mechanical circulatory support. In 20.4 percent, the composite of in-hospital mortality or temporary mechanical circulatory support occurred. Estimated mortality was 6.6 percent at 120 days: 15.1 and 0 percent in patients with associated pneumonia and without pneumonia, respectively.

"Although rare, hospitalized patients with acute myocarditis associated with COVID-19 infection have a much greater need for intensive care unit admission, in up to 70.5 percent of the cases, despite the average age of the individuals in the study being much younger than expected at 38 years old," a coauthor said in a statement.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to the pharmaceutical and medical device industries.

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