Key result
COVID-19 pandemic and post-pandemic periods linked to elevated myocarditis incidence compared to pre-pandemic levels.
Why the study?
The COVID-19 pandemic caused a surge in cardiovascular complications, with myocarditis emerging as a concern from direct viral effects and rare vaccine-associated events.
Does the COVID-19 pandemic era increase the incidence and inpatient mortality of myocarditis compared to the pre-pandemic era?
Cohort (n=778)
Yes
Does the COVID-19 pandemic era increase the incidence and inpatient mortality of myocarditis compared to the pre-pandemic era?
Myocarditis incidence surged during the COVID-19 pandemic and remains elevated post-pandemic compared to pre-pandemic levels, with a demographic shift towards older patients with more cardiometabolic comorbidities.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
Observational myocarditis incidence trends across pandemic periods should not yet change practice; leaves open causal roles of infection or vaccination.
Background The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic introduced a surge in cardiovascular complications, with myocarditis emerging as a concern due to both direct viral effects and rare vaccine‐associated events. Aims This analysis examines the incidence and outcomes of myocarditis in patients across a large healthcare system in the Washington, DC Metropolitan Area, focusing on periods before, during, and after the COVID‐19 pandemic. Methods A retrospective cohort study was conducted using electronic health records from the MedStar Health System (2017−2024). Myocarditis cases were identified using ICD‐10 codes, with cases stratified by pre‐ (2017−2019), peri‐ (2020−2022), and post‐COVID‐19 (2023−2024) pandemic periods, as well as by association with COVID‐19 infection and/or vaccination. The overall incidence and inpatient mortality of myocarditis were compared over these eras. Results This study included 778 myocarditis patients admitted between January 2017 and December 2024, categorized into pre‐COVID‐19 ( n = 207), peri‐COVID‐19 ( n = 370), and post‐COVID‐19 ( n = 201) periods. Total myocarditis incidence surged during the peri‐pandemic period, peaking in 2022, and declined in 2023‐2024. In the post‐pandemic period, total myocarditis remained elevated and higher than in the pre‐pandemic era. During the pandemic and post‐pandemic periods, myocarditis patients were older, included a higher proportion of African American individuals, and had a greater burden of cardiometabolic comorbidities, compared to pre‐pandemic myocarditis hospitalizations. Conclusion This study demonstrates a marked increase in myocarditis cases during the COVID‐19 pandemic, driven initially by a surge in COVID‐19‐related myocarditis. Notably, total myocarditis cases remained elevated in the post‐pandemic period compared to pre‐pandemic levels. These findings, particularly the increased post‐pandemic myocarditis patients, warrant further investigation into underlying risk factors and long‐term outcomes.
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Waksman et al. (2026) conducted a cohort in Myocarditis (n=778). COVID-19 pandemic eras (peri- and post-pandemic) vs. Pre-pandemic era (2017-2019) was evaluated on Overall incidence and inpatient mortality of myocarditis. Myocarditis incidence surged during the peri-pandemic period (n=370) and remained elevated in the post-pandemic period (n=201) compared to the pre-pandemic era (n=207).
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