Myocarditis and pericarditis following mRNA COVID-19 vaccination in younger patients: is there a shared thread?

Rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis after COVID-19 mRNA vaccination have been recently reported in male adolescents and young adults. Acute myocarditis and pericarditis following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination in male adolescents and young adults may be connected with age-related lower levels of T-bet and PD-1 in predisposed individulas with T-bet polymorphisms by the release od autoreactive CD8+CTL. Upregulatiomn of T-Bet and PD-1 by estrogen might explai the higher incidence of men developing myocarditis or pericarditis in comparison to women.

Automated summary

Recent reports have highlighted rare cases of myocarditis and pericarditis in male adolescents and young adults following COVID-19 mRNA vaccination. The development of acute myocarditis and pericarditis in these individuals may be attributed to age-related lower levels of T-bet and PD-1, predisposing them to autoreactive CD8+CTL release due to T-bet polymorphism. The higher incidence of myocarditis or pericarditis in men compared to women could potentially be explained by estrogen-induced upregulation of T-Bet and PD-1.