Background:
Vaccines have been mainly described to provide cardioprotective effects with rare reports showing rare association with myopericarditis. However, vaccines have not been well-studied regarding their effects on heart rhythm disorders.
Methods:
We used the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS) between 1990-2021 to search for atrial fibrillation and other less prevalent arrhythmias. Disproportionality signal analysis was conducted by measuring reporting odds ratio (ROR) with 95% confidence interval (CI).
Results:
Over 1,300,000 adverse events were reported between 1990-2021. Among these events, atrial fibrillation was reported 2149 times in association with various vaccines. 90% of atrial fibrillation was associated with COVID-19 vaccines with ROR of 9.7739 (CI: 8.3703 to 11.4130) (P<0.0001). Interestingly, influenza vaccines, polyvalent polysaccharide pneumococcal (PPSV23) vaccine, pneumococcal 13-valent (PCV13) vaccine, zoster vaccine, and tetanus-containing vaccines were significantly associated with reduced atrial fibrillation. Of note, deaths were predominantly within the 50-year-old and above age group.
Conclusion:
While vaccines have not been linked to heart rhythm disorders, the introduction of COVID-19 vaccines in 2020 showed a significant association with atrial fibrillation. This study showed an unprecedented detrimental effect of COVID-19 vaccines on atrial fibrillation and warrants the need to take that into consideration when prescribing COVID-19 vaccines.
Footnotes
Poster Contributions
For exact presentation time, refer to the online ACC.22 Program Planner at https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/10461
Session Title: Electrophysiology Flatboard Poster Selections: Pharmacology
Abstract Category: 02. Electrophysiology: Pharmacology