Cited by 169Viral Infections and Immunology ResearchPoxvirus research and outbreaksPericarditis and Cardiac Tamponade

A Prospective Study of the Incidence of Myocarditis/Pericarditis and New Onset Cardiac Symptoms following Smallpox and Influenza Vaccination

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Engler, Renata J. M., Nelson, Michael R., Collins Jr., Limone C., Spooner, Christina, Hemann, Brian A., Gibbs, Barnett T., Atwood, J. Edwin, Howard, Robin S. +12 more·2015·PLOS ONE

Abstract

BACKGROUND: Although myocarditis/pericarditis (MP) has been identified as an adverse event following smallpox vaccine (SPX), the prospective incidence of this reaction and new onset cardiac symptoms, including possible subclinical injury, has not been prospectively defined. PURPOSE: The study's primary objective was to determine the prospective incidence of new onset cardiac symptoms, clinical and possible subclinical MP in temporal association with immunization. METHODS: New onset cardiac symptoms, clinical MP and cardiac specific troponin T (cTnT) elevations following SPX (above individual baseline values) were measured in a multi-center prospective, active surveillance cohort study of healthy subjects receiving either smallpox vaccine or trivalent influenza vaccine (TIV). RESULTS: New onset chest pain, dyspnea, and/or palpitations occurred in 10.6% of SPX-vaccinees and 2.6% of TIV-vaccinees within 30 days of immunization (relative risk (RR) 4.0, 95% CI: 1.7-9.3). Among the 1081 SPX-vaccinees with complete follow-up, 4 Caucasian males were diagnosed with probable myocarditis and 1 female with suspected pericarditis. This indicates a post-SPX incidence rate more than 200-times higher than the pre-SPX background population surveillance rate of myocarditis/pericarditis (RR 214, 95% CI 65-558). Additionally, 31 SPX-vaccinees without specific cardiac symptoms were found to have over 2-fold increases in cTnT (>99th percentile) from baseline (pre-SPX) during the window of risk for clinical myocarditis/pericarditis and meeting a proposed case definition for possible subclinical myocarditis. This rate is 60-times higher than the incidence rate of overt clinical cases. No clinical or possible subclinical myocarditis cases were identified in the TIV-vaccinated group. CONCLUSIONS: Passive surveillance significantly underestimates the true incidence of myocarditis/pericarditis after smallpox immunization. Evidence of subclinical transient cardiac muscle injury post-vaccinia immunization is a finding that requires further study to include long-term outcomes surveillance. Active safety surveillance is needed to identify adverse events that are not well understood or previously recognized.

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  • Myocarditis has been reported as a rare adverse event for other vaccines before the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly smallpox vaccines.

    “Myocarditis has been reported as a rare adverse event for other vaccines before the COVID-19 pandemic, mainly smallpox vaccines. 189,190”

    From COVID-19, Myocarditis and Pericarditis (2023) · cites this paper as [190]

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  1. [3]Arness MK, Eckart RE, Love SS, Atwood JE, Wells TS, Engler RJ, et al Myo/pericarditis following smallpox vaccination. Am J Epidemiol. 2004 4; 160(7): 642– 51. 15383408
  2. [4]Eckart RE, Love SS, Atwood JE, Arness MK, Cassimatis DC, Campbell CL, et al and the Department of Defense Smallpox Vaccination Clinical Evaluation Team. Incidence and follow-up of inflammatory cardiac complications after smallpox vaccination. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2004 7; 44(1): 201– 5. 15234435
  3. [31]Elizaga ML, Vasan S, Marovich MA, Sato AH, Lawrence DN, Chaitman BR, et al.; MVA Cardiac Safety Working Group. Prospective surveillance for cardiac adverse events in healthy adults receiving modified vaccinia Ankara vaccines: a systematic review. PLoS One. 2013;8(1):e54407. Available: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3547923/pdf/pone.0054407.pdf. Accessed 2013Aug 30. PMC3547923 23349878

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Authors
Engler, R. J. M., Nelson, M. R., Collins Jr., L. C., Spooner, C., Hemann, B. A., Gibbs, B. T., Atwood, J. E., Howard, R. S., Chang, A. S., Cruser, D. L., Gates, D. G., Vernalis, M. N., Lengkeek, M. S., McClenathan, B. M., Jaffe, A. S., Cooper, L. T., Black, S., Carlson, C., Wilson, C., & Davis, R. L.
Affiliations
  • Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences (US)
  • Defense Health Agency (US)
  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center (US)
  • Vassar Brothers Medical Center (US)
  • Alexander T. Augusta Military Medical Center (US)
  • Womack Army Medical Center (US)
  • Mayo Clinic (US)
  • Fred Hutch Cancer Center (US)
  • University of Washington (US)
  • Oak Ridge National Laboratory (US)
Corresponding author
Engler, Renata J. M.
Venue
PLOS ONE
Published
2015-03-20
Volume
10
Issue
3
Pages
e0118283
ISSN
1932-6203 (ISSN-L)
OpenAlex
W2078712489
Cited by
169
References
52
Citations by year
2026: 3 · 2025: 4 · 2024: 11 · 2023: 27 · 2022: 51 · 2021: 32 · 2020: 10 · 2019: 3 · 2018: 14 · 2017: 5 · 2016: 7 · 2015: 2
FWCI
6.79
Type
journal article
Language
en
Open access
Locations
  • PLoS ONE (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed Central (publishedVersion, public-domain)
  • PubMed (publishedVersion)
  • OSTI OAI (U.S. Department of Energy Office of Scientific and Technical Information) (submittedVersion)
  • RePEc: Research Papers in Economics (submittedVersion)
  • DOAJ (DOAJ: Directory of Open Access Journals) (submittedVersion, cc-by-sa)
Funders
  • U.S. Department of Defense
  • National Institutes of Health (n01ai40069-7-0-1)
  • U.S. Public Health Service (200-2002-00732)
  • Walter Reed National Military Medical Center
  • National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (N01 AI40069, N01 AI040069, HHSN272201000024C)
Topics
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Viral Infections and Immunology Research
  • Life Sciences › Immunology and Microbiology › Virology › Poxvirus research and outbreaks
  • Health Sciences › Medicine › Cardiology and Cardiovascular Medicine › Pericarditis and Cardiac Tamponade
Keywords
myocarditis, pericarditis, smallpox vaccine, trivalent influenza vaccine, vaccine adverse events, cardiac symptoms, subclinical myocarditis, cardiac troponin T, chest pain, dyspnea, palpitations, vaccine safety surveillance, incidence
MeSH terms
Adult, Demography, Female, Humans, Influenza Vaccines, Male, Myocarditis, Pericarditis, Prospective Studies, Smallpox Vaccine, United States, Vaccination, Vaccines, Inactivated, Cohort Studies, Incidence, Treatment Outcome, Troponin T

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