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Behind the curtain lies the truth: a case of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy mistaken for COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  05 February 2025

Samantha Schaller ,
Tanya Perry Open the ORCID record for Tanya Perry [Opens in a new window] ,
Timothy Knilans ,
Juli Sublet-Smith ,
Sean Lang ,
Erin M. Miller  and
Angela Lorts
Samantha Schaller
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Tanya Perry*
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, Northwell Health, Zucker School of Medicine at Hofstra University, Division of Critical Care, Cohen Children’s Medical Center, New Hyde Park, NY, USA
Timothy Knilans
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Juli Sublet-Smith
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Sean Lang
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Erin M. Miller
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
Angela Lorts
Affiliation:
Department of Pediatrics, University of Cincinnati College of Medicine, The Heart Institute, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA
*
Corresponding author: Tanya Perry; Email: [email protected]
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Abstract

A 15-year-old male presented with vasovagal syncope and troponin leak 4 days after his second COVID-19 vaccine. Based on initial diagnostic work-up, he was thought to have COVID-19 vaccine-associated myocarditis. His cardiac dysfunction persisted and further work-up including genetic evaluation and serial MRI studies later confirmed a diagnosis of arrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy. This is a unique case of an incorrect diagnosis based on timing and context of vaccine-related myocarditis. Reports of mild and self-limited myocarditis post-COVID-19 vaccination may cause vaccine hesitancy among the public, and so case reports such as this one show the importance of discerning underlying conditions amongst rare COVID-19 vaccination complications.

Keywords

COVID-19vaccine myocarditisarrhythmogenic cardiomyopathy
Type
Brief Report
Information
Cardiology in the Young , First View , pp. 1 - 3
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Copyright
© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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