(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% were female. Chest pain and dyspnea were the most frequent symptoms on admission (55.5 and 53.7%, respectively). Overall, 57.4% of cases occurred in the absence of COVID-19-associated pneumonia. Twenty-one of the patients (38.9%t) had a fulminant presentation, which necessitated inotropic support or temporary mechanical circulatory support. In 20.4%, the composite of in-hospital mortality or temporary mechanical circulatory support occurred. Estimated mortality was 6.6% at 120 days: 15.1 and 0% 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% 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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