Reporting complete heart block in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa after COVID-19 vaccination.

Entezar Mehrabi Nasab, Seyyed Shamsadin Athari

ESC heart failure 2023 Apr

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Complete heart block (CHB) is a serious health condition, and polyarteritis nodosa (PAN) is an important autoimmune disease. In the COVID-19 pandemy, several vaccines were developed for the COVID-19 disease that shown several side effects, and some of these complications are still unknown. This is the first report of CHB in a patient with history of PAN after COVID-19 vaccination. A 68-year-old man with a history of PAN referred to our hospital, complaining of presyncope episodes and dizziness after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine. Physical examination, laboratory tests, and transthoracic echocardiography were normal. In his electrocardiogram, a narrow QRS complex, AV dissociation, and junctional escape rhythm were seen. Coronary angiography showed a mild coronary artery disease. The patient, suffering from PAN for years, was hypothesized due to CHB a few days after COVID-19 vaccination. This case report suggests that COVID-19 vaccines may interrupt the conduction system of the heart and the fact that underlying PAN may predispose to CHB following COVID-19 vaccination. Further studies are needed to accurately assess a possible association between PAN, CHB, and COVID-19 vaccines. © 2022 The Authors. ESC Heart Failure published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd on behalf of European Society of Cardiology.

Citation

Entezar Mehrabi Nasab, Seyyed Shamsadin Athari. Reporting complete heart block in a patient with polyarteritis nodosa after COVID-19 vaccination. ESC heart failure. 2023 Apr;10(2):1418-1421