Evidence mapPaperPMID 41827021Full record

ArticleJournal of medical case reports2026

Acute myocarditis and rhabdomyositis after coronavirus disease 2019 messenger RNA vaccination and intensive training: a case report.

Jieyu Wu, Attila Szakos, Bela Bozoky, Laszlo Szekely

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In one paragraph

Article in Journal of medical case reports, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

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4 · The record

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5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

4 authors.

Jieyu WuDepartment of Pathology/Cytology, Karolinska University Laboratory, 14186, Stockholm, Sweden.
Attila SzakosDepartment of Pathology/Cytology, Karolinska University Laboratory, 14186, Stockholm, Sweden.
Bela BozokyDepartment of Pathology/Cytology, Karolinska University Laboratory, 14186, Stockholm, Sweden.
Laszlo SzekelyDepartment of Pathology/Cytology, Karolinska University Laboratory, 14186, Stockholm, Sweden. laszlo.szekely@ki.se.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0001-6144-6573

Funding

Hjärt-Lungfonden H556916013
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundDespite the reporting of myocarditis associated with coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination, the correlation between vaccine-related rhabdomyositis and myocarditis incidence remains undocumented. This case offers a new perspective on myocarditis, potentially associated with the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine, possibly caused by the strong immunostimulatory effects of messenger RNA vaccination-related rhabdomyositis. CASE PRESENTATION: A 25-year-old male athlete of Swedish (white) ethnicity and non-Hispanic origin collapsed during a strenuous ice hockey training session after receiving his third dose of the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine (BN162b2). He had received standard cardiopulmonary resuscitation, and the electrocardiography showed ventricle fibrillation. According to the laboratory test, elevations were observed in troponin T, aminotransferase, blood glucose, and leucocyte number. Magnetic resonance imaging indicated disseminated myocarditis. A biopsy of the heart revealed mild lymphocytic inflammation and focal myocytolysis. The patient had permanent brain damage and passed away after the breathing tube was removed. The autopsy revealed cardiac muscle necrosis and skeletal muscle rhabdomyolysis. There was a sign of massive expansion of lymphoid compartment in the gastrointestinal tract. Increased hemophagocytosis and eosinophils were seen in the lymph node and bone marrow. The specific case drew attention to a potential association between the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine and fatal myocarditis.

conclusionWe suggest that strenuous training associated with skeletal muscle damage, together with the strong immunostimulatory effect of messenger RNA vaccination, may lead to autoimmune rhabdomyositis that potentially cross-reacts with the myocardium. Athletes should be aware of the potential danger of heavy training in close proximity to vaccination or acute infections.

Indexed as

COVID-19 VaccinesMyocarditisRhabdomyolysisAdultBNT162 VaccineCOVID-19Fatal OutcomeHumansMaleSARS-CoV-2VaccinationBNT162 VaccineCOVID-19 VaccinesCase reportMyocarditisRhabdomyositisSARS-COV-2Vaccination

Identifiers

PMID41827021
PMCPMC13063479

What Socratic holds

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.