No link between Covid vaccine and sudden cardiac arrest in young people: AIIMS Delhi study finds

Indian Express

5 hours ago

There is no link between the Covid-19 vaccine and deaths in young people from cardiac arrest, claimed an ongoing study being conducted by AIIMS, New Delhi. These deaths were attributed to coronary artery disease (CHD) linked to poor lifestyle choices.
These preliminary findings are part of an interim report based on a study, titled 'Establishing the cause in sudden unexplained deaths in young', which AIIMS is conducting in collaboration with the Indian Council of Medical Research.
On Thursday, doctors involved in the study said the cause of death among the young population was CHD. Addressing the risk factor around Covid vaccination, Dr Sanjay Rai, Professor of Community Medicine, said there was a huge benefit from vaccination. 'A certain risk is always present, which is why we do a risk and benefit analysis before starting any vaccination,' he added. Dr Rai was the principal investigator of the vaccine safety (phases 1 & 2) and effectiveness (phase 3) trial at AIIMS.
Dr Abhishek Yadav, Professor of Forensic Medicine, said the study began in 2023 with a sample size of 300 medico-legal cases of sudden deaths. Post-mortems in these cases were conducted in the AIIMS Forensic Medicine Department. 'These were people between the ages of 18 and 45 years and 45 and 60 years… almost all of them had taken the Covid vaccine,' he said.
Dr Sudheer Arava, Professor, Department of Pathology, who was involved in the study, said the biggest problem was coronary artery disease — more than 50% of those who died of the disease had a history of alcohol consumption and smoking. Almost all of them had evidence of the Covid-19 vaccine — either a single, double or booster dose.
Explaining how they arrived at the findings, Dr Yadav said, 'These were people between the ages of 18 and 45 years and 45 and 60 years… almost all of them had taken the Covid vaccine. We first did a verbal autopsy where we noted down the patient's detailed history, stress, habits, etc. We then did a virtual autopsy and later a traditional autopsy, where we investigated every organ in the body. We then did a histopathological analysis of organs with the help of microscopy.'
'We examined every organ along with the forensic department and did whole body scans, whole body examinations… So any of the secondary causes we would have picked up might have caused the death of these people,' added Dr Arava.
Dr Arava further said two-thirds of cardiovascular causes were atherosclerosis (plaque buildup inside the arteries). 'The less common causes were congenital heart problems, the heart vessels not being straight, the original vessels being small, and heart infections. All these problems were in less than 5% of the total sample size,' he added.
He further said, looking at the pattern of deaths, there is no difference between the pre-Covid era and the post-Covid era. 'Vaccination has no role to play. The sudden deaths were happening pre-Covid too. The only thing that changed is that we have become more aware.'
Dr Ambuj Roy, Professor, Cardiology, who was a part of the study, said vaccines act as a protective factor against cardiac complications of Covid. They reduced venous thrombosis or clotting in veins by 80%, arterial clotting, which leads to heart and brain attacks, by 50% and also reduced heart failure by 50%.
According to Dr Rajiv Narang, Professor and Head, Cardiology, the risk factors include smoking, which is easily preventable.
'In the maximum number of heart attack cases where we have to conduct angioplasty, smoking was the most common factor. The other risks are diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, psychosocial stress which leads to abnormal hormone release, and abdominal obesity. Protective factors include exercising regularly and consuming fruits and vegetables,' he said.
In the next part of the ongoing study, a molecular-level analysis will be done to find any connection between vaccines and deaths. 'We will analyse any mutation or variation on the molecular level, if any,' said Dr Arava.