COVID-19 poses Greater heart Risk to Children Than Vaccination, Major Study Finds
A large-scale study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health reveals that COVID-19 infection carries a substantially higher risk of heart and inflammatory complications in children than receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Researchers found that heart conditions were more frequent and lasted longer following infection compared to vaccination.
The research,led by teams from the Universities of Cambridge,edinburgh,and University College London,and supported by the BHF Data Science Center,analyzed the health records of nearly 14 million individuals under 18 in England between January 2020 and December 2022 – representing 98% of the child population. The study compared risks of heart, vascular, and inflammatory diseases after both infection and vaccination.
Among the 13,896,125 individuals examined, 3.9 million had a first COVID-19 diagnosis, and 3.4 million received their first BNT162b2 vaccine. Within the first week of diagnosis, infection was associated with increased risks of arterial thromboembolism (aHR 2.33), venous thromboembolism (4.90), thrombocytopenia (3.64), myocarditis or pericarditis (3.46), and inflammatory conditions (14.84). Elevated risks for some conditions persisted for up to 12 months post-infection.
In contrast, the risk of myocarditis or pericarditis after vaccination increased only within four weeks (aHR 1.84).
The authors emphasize that the risks associated with COVID-19 infection in children outweigh the temporary side effects of vaccination, supporting continued vaccination efforts to prevent long-term complications. Clinicians are advised to monitor for vascular and inflammatory symptoms following COVID-19 infection and reassure parents about the safety of vaccination.
Reference: Sampri A et al. Vascular and inflammatory diseases after COVID-19 infection and vaccination in children and young people in England: a retrospective, population-based cohort study using linked electronic health records.Lancet Child Adolesc Health.2025;DOI:10.1016/S2352-4642(25)00247-0.
