SINGAPORE: The Health Sciences Authority (HSA) on Wednesday (Sep 6) disputed the findings in a Swiss study that reported “heart injuries” among a small percentage of people who had received COVID-19 mRNA vaccine boosters.
In a study published in the European Journal of Heart Failure, 22 out of 777 participants who received such vaccines had heart injuries.
Conducted on employees in a hospital in Switzerland, the study defined heart injury based solely on increased troponin levels, said HSA.
Troponin levels – a type of protein found in the muscles of the heart – are a marker for possible heart injury.
However, HSA added that increased troponin levels are not necessarily a cause for concern, particularly if there are no other corresponding signs or symptoms.
“The increase in troponin levels observed in the study were mild and transient,” said the agency, adding that such increases can also be observed after strenuous physical activities.
“The observed increased troponin levels should not be interpreted as amounting to heart injury or myocarditis following vaccination.”
HSA also noted that none of the cases in the Swiss study had any abnormal electrocardiograph (ECG) changes or developed any major adverse cardiac events within 30 days of vaccination.
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