ABSTRACT
Background: Several studies described occurrence of myocarditis after SARS-CoV-2 vaccination in pediatric patients. Weaimed to characterize the clinical course of myocarditis following SARS-CoV2 vaccination including follow-up data within the prospective German registry for suspected myocarditis in children and adolescents "MYKKE." Method: Patients younger than 18 years with suspected myocarditis and onset of symptoms within 21 days followingSARS-CoV2 vaccination were enrolled within the MYKKE registry. The suspect of myocarditis is valid in patients with clinical symptoms and diagnostic findings typically seen in myocarditis. Clinical data are monitored at initial admission and duringshort-term and long-term follow-up. Result(s): Between July 2021 and August 2022, a total of 48 patients with a median age of 16.2 years (IQR: 15.2-16.8)were enrolled by 13 centers, 88% male. Onset of symptoms occurred at a median of 3 days (IQR: 2-7) after vaccine administration, most frequently after the second dose (52%). Most common symptoms at initial admission were anginapectoris (81%), fatigue (56%), dyspnea (24%) and documented arrhythmias (17%). Initial ECG abnormalities included ST-elevation (48%) and T-wave inversion (23%). Elevated Tropon in was observed in 32 patients (67%) and in 19 cases (40%)NT-proBNP was above the normal range with a median level of 171 pg/mL (IQR: 32-501). 11 (23%) patients presentedwith mildly reduced systolic function at initial echocardiography or cardiac MRI. In 40 patients cardiac MRI and/orendomyocardial biopsy was performed (83%) and diagnosis of myocarditis could be verified in 27 cases (68%). Thirty-nine patients underwent short-term follow-up with a median of 2.8 months (IQR: 1.9-3.9) after discharge. 19 patients (49%)presented with either clinical symptoms (n = 9) and/or diagnostic abnormalities (n = 16) at follow-up. 12 patients (38%)still had medical treatment. Except for one patient with malign arrhythmias (ventricular tachycardia), no major cardiac adverse events were observed during initial admission and follow-up. Conclusion(s): Our data confirm that SARS-CoV-2 vaccine-related myocarditis is characterized by a mild disease course. However, after short-term follow-up a considerable number of patients still presented with symptoms and/or diagnostic abnormalities. Data on long-term follow-up are awaited.
ABSTRACT
CASE: A 22-year-old woman with h/o asthma initially presented to the hospital with lip swelling and sore throat. She tested positive for COVID-19 and received a casirivimab-imdevimab (monoclonal antibody) infusion. She returned a week later with worsening lip swelling, dysphagia and conjunctivitis. Physical exam revealed edematous lips with vesicular lesions, no tongue swelling, tonsillar exudate, 4+ conjunctival injection bilaterally with purulent discharge, and shallow clean based clitoral ulceration. She reports no history of allergic reactions, angioedema or exposure to new medications. Nasopharyngolaryngoscopy showed no laryngeal edema but visualized exudates throughout the supraglottis and glottis. C4, ANA, CMV, EBV, throat and blood cultures were negative. STI testing was trichomonas positive and gonorrhea/chlamydia negative. Respiratory virus panel remained positive for COVID-19. HSV swab of lip lesion, HSV 1/2 IgG and IgM were negative. Mycoplasma pneumoniae IgG was elevated (0.60, negative is ≤0.09), IgM equivocal (0.85, negative is ≤0.76), and nasopharyngeal PCR negative. Conjunctival culture showed rare bacteria (S. Aureus) and no leukocytes. She initially received methylprednisolone IV due to concern for angioedema, acyclovir for empiric HSV treatment and empiric antibacterial moxifloxacin eye drops. Given lack of infectious trigger, her presentation was concerning for reactive infectious mucocutaneous eruption (RIME) associated with SARSCoV-2 or Mycoplasma. Prednisone 1mg/kg daily was initiated followed by improvement in oral mucositis and conjunctivitis within days. IMPACT/DISCUSSION: A broad differential is important when evaluating oral swelling and mucositis. Her lack of cutaneous involvement, medication exposure or family history and negative infectious, autoimmune and inflammatory workup make other causes including Stevens-Johnson syndrome, erythema multiforme, angioedema, and HSV less likely. Our final diagnosis of RIME describes mucocutaneous eruptions likely due to an immune response triggered by bacterial or viral infection. Our patient's RIME may be due to COVID-19 or Mycoplasma given her equivocal Mycoplasma IgM. Eruptions generally involve two or more mucosal sites and occur mostly in children and adolescents. Common presentations include oral erosions and ulcers, purulent bilateral conjunctivitis, or urogenital lesions, which were all seen in our patient. As this is a relatively rare and new condition, no standard of care treatment exists for RIME but systemic steroids have been effective in case reports for initial treatment and subsequent flares. CONCLUSION: RIME is a rare, newly described condition in young patients who develop postinfectious mucocutaneous eruptions of two or more mucosal sites. It has been recently reported in association with COVID-19 and its association with Mycoplasma infection is important to evaluate. This condition is important to recognize and treat given the requirement for higher dose steroids than that used for angioedema.