The Association Between COVID-19 Vaccination and Cardiac Arrest-Related Mortality in Adolescents and Young Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

https://doi.org/10.55966/assaj.2025.4.1.092

Abstract

This systematic review and meta-analysis examines the correlation between COVID-19 vaccination and cardiac arrest-related deaths in people ages 12 to 30 years. With the whole world embarking on vaccination programs to mitigate the pandemic, there have been concerns as to rare but severe side effects especially in youthful populations. The research rigorously searched five leading databases of peer-reviewed studies published between December 2020 and April 2024, with 15 studies being accepted as meeting the inclusion criteria. These were cohort, case-control and cross-sectional studies with more than 106,000 participants. The effect size of the overall analysis was small (OR = 1.36, 95% CI [1.05, 1.77]) but statistically significant (p = 0.02). Subgroup analyses revealed an increased likelihood in males, those of age 1825, and those that received mRNA based vaccines like Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna. Sensitivity analysis proved that the findings are not sensitive to change, and a lack of any statistically significant publication bias was found. Although there is moderate heterogeneity, the findings indicate that there is a need to have special post-vaccination cardiac monitoring particularly on high-risk groups. The study does not call into question the great benefits of COVID-19 vaccination, but it points to the need to improve safety measures and clear communication. Study quality, geographic distribution, and outcome definitions are subject to limitations due to variability. The results support the necessity of longitudinal, large-scale, and mechanistic studies in the future to investigate the causality and biological mechanisms. The study presents the critical evidence that can inform the creation of public health policy, clinical practice, and studies to focus on what can make vaccines safer and less dangerous to younger age groups in the future.

Keywords: COVID-19 Vaccination, Cardiac Arrest, Mortality, Adolescents, Young Adults, Mrna Vaccines, Myocarditis, Vaccine Safety, Systematic Review, Meta-Analysis