[ad_1]
federal regulators review data The company said on Sunday about the link between Moderna’s coronavirus vaccine and a rare heart problem in adolescents. This side effect – myocarditis, which is an inflammation of the heart muscle – also worried federal agencies’ advisors in negotiations regarding the use of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in younger children and teenagers.
Scientists consulting the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will review the latest data on the situation at a meeting Tuesday before deciding whether to recommend the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine for young children.
So how common is myocarditis really? And should parents worry about vaccinating their kids?
Absolutely not, said several experts familiar with recent studies. While vaccines by Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna appear to be associated with an increased risk of myocarditis, the absolute risk remains very small. Most cases are mild and resolve quickly.
A specialist in pediatric heart inflammation at UPMC Pittsburgh Children’s Hospital, Dr. “If you look at one risk, you can really push and scare yourself,” said Brian Feingold.
But he noted that Covid-19 itself is much more likely to permanently damage the heart: “Statistically, it’s much more likely.”
Myocarditis is usually caused by a virus or bacterial infection and causes symptoms such as a fast or irregular heartbeat, chest pain, and shortness of breath. Globally, about 10 to 20 people out of every 100,000 develop myocarditis every year, but many have mild symptoms and may never be diagnosed.
Tens of thousands of children have been hospitalized with Covid since the start of the coronavirus pandemic, and 657 diedAccording to data collected by the CDC
Some children infected with the coronavirus may develop long-term Covid, remain sick for months after the initial infection has passed, or have a multisystem inflammatory syndrome that affects. at least 5,200 children in the United States.
Dr. While the risk of myocarditis after vaccination is real, “these are the larger real numbers,” Feingold said.
The incidence of myocarditis after vaccination varies by age, sex, and dose and between studies. But the trend so far shows that the chances are greatest after the second dose of the mRNA vaccine in male patients aged 16 to 29 years.
there are roughly 11 cases of myocarditis One study was estimated for every 100,000 vaccinated male patients in this age group. The likelihood of myocarditis decreases with age.
Data on adolescents aged 12 to 15 years are limited, as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine has been made available for them more recently. However, director of the Philadelphia Children’s Hospital Vaccine Education Center, Dr. Paul A. Offit said that so far post-vaccination heart problems appear to be less common in boys of that age than in older men.
Dr. This age distribution is similar to that seen in patients with myocarditis caused by viral infections, Offit said.
An FDA scientific advisory committee he sits on met last week to review the safety of the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine in children ages 5 to 11, and ultimately voted to recommend giving the vaccine to children.
Dr. “Myocarditis is often a post-adolescent phenomenon,” Offit said, adding, “This made me feel better about the fact that we wouldn’t be unpleasantly surprised by an increase in myocarditis in young children after vaccination.”
This reassurance may not be enough for some parents. Jeff Gustin, a plant geneticist in the Department of Agriculture, said his heart rate rose after he and his two sons received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
Their young son recovered quickly, but 42-year-old Dr. Gustin says he can still feel his heart beating fast, especially when he lies down. It is now considering boosting the Johnson & Johnson vaccine instead of the Pfizer-BioNTech or the Moderna vaccine.
And given his family history, he’s hesitant to get his 11-year-old youngest son vaccinated unless the school district requires it.
However, Dr. Some cases of myocarditis after vaccination, like Gustin’s older sons, can be detected due to intense scrutiny on vaccines, said Dr. James de Lemos. reported one of the first cases In January.
What You Need to Know About Covid-19 Booster Shots
The FDA has allowed booster shots for millions of buyers. Pfizer-BioNTech, modern and Johnson and Johnson vaccines. Pfizer and Moderna recipients who qualify for support include people aged 65 and over and young adults who are at high risk of serious Covid-19 due to medical conditions or where they work. Eligible Pfizer and Moderna recipients can receive a boost for at least six months after their second dose. All Johnson & Johnson recipients will be eligible for a second shoot at least two months after the first.
Yeah. The FDA has updated its mandate to allow medical providers to empower people with a different vaccine than the one they originally received. “Mix and Match.” You can get a booster for any other vaccine, whether you’ve received Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, or Pfizer-BioNTech. The regulators did not recommend any vaccine over the other as a booster. They also remained silent on whether it would be preferable to stick to the same vaccine whenever possible.
The CDC said conditions that qualify a person for a booster shot include: hypertension and heart disease; diabetes or obesity; cancer or blood diseases; weakened immune system; chronic lung, kidney, or liver disease; dementia and some disabilities. Pregnant women and current and former smokers are also eligible.
The FDA has allowed boosters for workers whose jobs put them at risk of exposure to potentially infectious humans. The CDC says the group includes: emergency health workers; education workers; food and agricultural workers; manufacturing workers; correction workers; US Postal Service employees; public transport workers; grocery workers.
Yeah. The CDC says the Covid vaccine can be administered regardless of the timing of other vaccines, and many pharmacy sites allow people to schedule a flu shot at the same time as a booster dose.
Dr. de Lemos said that myocarditis due to vaccines is much less frequent and severe than observed in Covid patients and does not seem to cause lasting harm.
The coronavirus can infect the heart muscle and the lining of blood vessels, putting the heart and other organs at risk of long-term damage. The virus can also weaken the heart enough to require a transplant and even cause fatal damage.
In contrast, myocarditis observed after vaccination is mild and transient. Dr. “It’s uncomfortable, but rarely life-threatening,” de Lemos said.
However, some Northern European countries where the Moderna vaccine is approved for adolescents Stopped giving to people aged 30 and under, At least for now. This decision was based on evidence showing that the Moderna vaccine has a higher risk of myocarditis than the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.
When researchers at Kaiser Permanente Northern California, for example, directly compared the two vaccines, they found that the incidence of myocarditis in men aged 18 to 39 was higher after a dose of both vaccines but not Moderna.
Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Study Center director Dr. “The rate after Moderna is objectively higher than the rate after Pfizer,” said Nicola P. Klein. “It’s consistent no matter which cases we use, or whether it’s just men or both sexes.”
The risk after both doses of the Moderna vaccine in persons aged 18 to 39 years is 37 times higher The rate after two doses of Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine was as high as 19 times in those aged 12 to 39 years, as in the general population.
Dr. de Lemos noted that while this may seem alarming, the absolute numbers are still small. “Thirty times a small number is still a small number,” he said. “Math still favors vaccination in adolescents and children.”
It is not clear why myocarditis affects boys more often than girls and whether this is a side effect of coronavirus vaccines or all mRNA vaccines. Focusing on myocarditis after vaccination can also help to understand the situation in general, experts said.
Dr. “Once we understand the pathogenesis, exactly what’s going on, I’ll feel so much better about it,” Offit said. If doctors can identify the cause, he added, “we can treat it to some extent.”
[ad_2]
Source link