Link between COVID-19 vaccines and myocardial infarction

Vaccines for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) include ChAdOx1-SARS-COV-2 (AstraZeneca), Ad26.COV2.S (Janssen), mRNA-1273 (Moderna), BNT162b2 (Pfizer), BBIBP-CorV (Sinopharm), CoronaVac (Sinovac), and Bharat Biotech BBV152 (Covaxin).

To find the association between COVID-19 vaccines and myocardial infarction (MI).

This is a systematic review that involved searching databases such as MEDLINE, EMBASE, and PakMediNet after making a search strategy using MeSH and Emtree terms. Eligibility criteria were set, and studies having no mention of MI as a complication of COVID-19 vaccination, protocols, genetic studies, and animal studies were excluded. Data was extracted using a predesigned extraction table, and 29 studies were selected after screening and applying the eligibility criteria.

The majority of studies mentioned AstraZeneca (18 studies) followed by Pfizer (14 studies) and Moderna (9 studies) in subjects reporting MI after vaccination. Out of all the studies, 69% reported MI cases after the first COVID-19 vaccination dose and 14% after the second, 44% reported ST-segment elevation MI, and 26% reported non-ST-segment elevation MI. The mortality rate was 29% after MI.

In conclusion, many studies linked MI to COVID-19 vaccinations, but no definitive association could be found.