Myocarditis inpatient encounters were 42.3% higher in 2020 than in 2019
What is already known about this topic? Viral infections are a common cause of myocarditis. Some studies have indicated an association between COVID-19 and myocarditis. What is added by this report? During March 2020–January 2021, patients with COVID-19 had nearly 16 times the risk for myocarditis compared with patients who did not have COVID-19, and risk varied by sex and age. What are the implications for public health practice? These findings underscore the importance of implementing evidence-based COVID-19 prevention strategies, including vaccination, to reduce the public health impact of COVID-19 and its associated complications.
After adjusting for patient and hospital characteristics, patients with COVID-19 during March 2020–January 2021 had, on average, 15.7 times the risk for myocarditis compared with those without COVID-19 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 14.1–17.2); by age, risk ratios ranged from approximately 7.0 for patients aged 16–39 years to >30.0 for patients aged <16 years or ≥75 years. Overall, myocarditis was uncommon among persons with and without COVID-19; however, COVID-19 was significantly associated with an increased risk for myocarditis, with risk varying by age group.
Data for this study were obtained from the Premier Healthcare Database Special COVID-19 Release (PHD-SR), a large hospital-based administrative database.
During 2020, the number of myocarditis inpatient encounters (4,560) was 42.3% higher than that during 2019 (3,205). Peaks in myocarditis inpatient encounters during April–May 2020 and November 2020–January 2021 generally aligned with peaks in COVID-19 inpatient encounters