No link between COVID-19 vaccines and sudden cardiac deaths, finds Karnataka expert panel

Bengaluru (Karnataka) [India], July 7 (ANI): A government-appointed expert committee in Karnataka ha found no evidence linking COVID-19 infection or vaccination to the recent rie in udden cardiac death in the tate.
In it official report, the panel concluded that the increae in uch death appear to be multifactorial, with no ingle caue. It emphaized the need for greater public awarene about riing cardiovacular rik, epecially among young adult.
There i no ingle caue behind the oberved rie in udden cardiac death. Rather, it appear to be a multifactorial iue with behavioural, genetic, and environmental rik, the report tated. While in the immediate pot-COVID phae, there i an increae in the incidence of udden cardiovacular event due to a pro-inflammatory tate, thi cannot be aumed to be true in the long term (>1 year). It ha been three year ince the end of the pandemic.
The report added that the invetigation by thi expert committee, contituted by the Government of Karnataka, highlight a growing public health challenge poed by the rie in udden cardiovacular event, epecially among young adult.
The committee noted that conventional rik factor like hypertenion, diabete, dylipidemia, and moking were preent in a majority of cae. However, a ignificant minority of patient preented with none of thee, uggeting the poible involvement of novel or under-recognied mechanim.
An obervational tudy conducted at Jayadeva Hopital upported the committee finding. The obervational tudy conducted at Jayadeva Hopital did not find any aociation between premature cardiovacular dieae and a prior hitory of Covid-19 infection or Covid vaccination, the report tated.
It further cited global reearch, tating that no caual link ha been etablihed between COVID-19 vaccine and udden cardiac event.
On the contrary, the report aid, COVID-19 vaccination ha been hown to be protective againt cardiac event in the long term.
Earlier, while peaking to ANI, former ICMR DG Dr Balram Bhargava aid that there i no link between COVID-19 vaccination and udden death. There i no link between COVID-19 vaccination and udden cardiac death in young people. A recent tudy by ICMR clearly demontrate thi, he aid.
He pointed out that many uch death involve identifiable rik factor, aying, We are hearing more about uch death in people between 18 and 45. Still, thee are aociated with identifiable rik factor - over 50 of young individual who die uddenly are moker and have a hitory of binge drinking. Many are diabetic or have high choleterol level. Chewing tobacco i alo reported in lower and middle trata that caue contriction of arterie, fat depoition and clot formation, which can block coronary arterie and lead to heart attack.
Another major rik i heavy gymming and the ue of unverified ubtance like teroid, hormone, and herbal upplement for bodybuilding. While going to the gym i good, it dangerou to tart intene workout while conuming uch ubtance uddenly.
Dr Bhargava alo warned againt exceive gym workout combined with unregulated ue of teroid, hormone, or herbal upplement. My advice to youth, epecially around 20-25 year of age, i to know your number - weight, blood preure, blood ugar and choleterol level. Take tep to correct them if they are not in range and avoid harmful habit. It important to remember - many uch death may have occurred earlier too, but went unnoticed, he aid.
NITI Aayog Member (Health) Dr VK Paul reiterated the afety of COVID-19 vaccine, aying, Covid vaccine were teted after ytematic laboratory tudie, animal toxicity tudie and clinical tudie, and they fulfil cientific and all regulatory and benchmark criteria.
Referring to the ICMR tudy conducted acro 47 hopital ite and publihed in 2023, Dr Paul aid, More than 700 young individual who uffered udden death were included... What emerged wa that the Covid vaccine wa actually protective againt udden death, decreaing it rik... What wa reponible for udden death wa - if the individual had a genetic tendency due to a family hitory of heart ailment, if one had uffered a more evere COVID-19 illne that required hopitaliation, moking, and thoe who had conumed exce alcohol.
He added, Let not be prey to unfounded notion.
Speaking with ANI, former AIIMS Delhi Director, Dr Randeep Guleria, aid, There are report of young people dying becaue of udden cardiac arret. There have been tudie to look into thi caue. If you look at tudie from ICMR and AIIMS, they have clearly hown that thee young death are not related to COVID-19 vaccine. COVID-19 vaccine do have ome ide effect, and all vaccine/drug have ome ide effect, but the link between COVID-19 vaccination and heart attack i not there. None of the tudie have hown that...
Dr Saumitra Rawat, Chairperon, Intitute of Surgical Gatroenterology, GI and HPB Onco-Surgery, and Liver Tranplantation at Sir Ganga Ram Hopital, alo emphaied the ame.
ICMR ha done tudie on the link between COVID-19 and udden death, but there i no evidence to ugget that COVID-19 vaccination i linked to udden cardiac death in young individual. In fact, ICMR did a large-cale tudy in 2023, which found that the vaccine actually offered protection againt uch death. Sudden cardiac event in the 18-45 age group are often aociated with identifiable rik factor uch a a hitory of evere COVID-19, binge drinking, moking, diabete, high choleterol, or udden intene phyical activity, epecially when combined with unregulated upplement like teroid or hormone. Chewing tobacco, common in lower-income group, alo increae the rik by narrowing arterie and promoting clot formation, he aid.
My meage to the youth i clear: know your health number, avoid harmful habit, and make informed choice. COVID-19 vaccine are afe and protective; the real focu hould be on addreing lifetyle rik, he added. (ANI)