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MyocarditisCOVID-VIHPRNCT05046002

COVID-19 Vaccine-induced Inflammatory Heart Disease Prevalence Registry

An observational study of Myocarditis and Pericarditis, run by Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation at 1 site in Canada.

Recruiting

Looking for participants now. Contact the study team or a site below to ask about taking part.

Sites and contacts
Official record
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Trial summary

Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammatory diseases of the myocardium and pericardium, and can be related to different causes, including vaccines. In the past, some people developed inflammatory heart disease after receiving a live or inactive virus vaccine (smallpox vaccine or flu vaccine). Read more about this study

Who is it for?
Ages 5 years and olderHealthy volunteers can take part
Conditions the study is for
Myocarditis, Pericarditis
Type of treatment
Vaccines
How many people
400 participants
Where
1 siteCanada
Study dates
11 Aug 2021to 31 Dec 2026
How long will I take part?
4 Years
Phase
Observational
Are there results?
Not yet: the study is under way

Key requirements

Who can take part, as listed by the sponsor. Only the study team can confirm whether you are eligible, so take this list to your doctor.

  • Ages 5 years and older
  • All sexes
  • Healthy volunteers accepted
  • Child, Adult, Older adult

Study population: Patients who have developed symptoms after receiving a COVID-19 vaccine and meet the inclusion and exclusion criteria are eligible to participate in the registry. Family members, vaccinated in a similar timeframe, with similar technology vaccine (e.g. any mRNA) but did not experience myocarditis side-effects - as a negative controls. If a relative is not available, voluntary controls who received the same type of COVID-19 vaccine in a similar time frame can be recruited (friends, roommates) Alternatively, if family members also had similar reactions, they can be recruited as positive controls. For the retrospective registry, we would also collect data on COVID-19 myocarditis and pericarditis and all other etiologies of myocarditis or pericarditis.

Who may be able to join

  • All patients eligible for vaccination with a COVID-19 vaccine,
  • At least one cardiac symptom of suspected myocarditis/pericarditis within 42 days of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. The clinical symptoms include chest pain, pressure, or discomfort; dyspnea, shortness of breath/dyspnea/pain with breathing, palpitations, diaphoresis, syncope, or sudden death.
  • OR At least two non-specific symptoms within 42 days of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. These symptoms include fatigue, abdominal pain, dizziness or syncope, edema, or cough.
  • OR No symptoms, but abnormal histopathology or a combination of abnormal cardiac biomarkers with abnormal cardiac imaging (echo or MRI)
  • At least one of the following:
  • Elevations in Troponin T, Troponin I, or CK-MB (above threshold of normal)
Show all 13Show fewer
  • Abnormal MRI (per Brighton Criteria Case Definitions)
  • Any new or worsening cardiac arrhythmias on ECG or telemetry or Holter monitor (per Brighton Criteria Case Definitions) including those that normalize on recovery.
  • Abnormal Echocardiographic findings (per Brighton Criteria Case Definitions, see Appendix 2 and 3)
  • Physical exam finding: Pericardial friction rub or pulsus paradoxus
  • Pericardial fluid or inflammation by imaging (echo, MRI, or CT) or at least one of the following elevated biomarkers of inflammation: ESR, CRP, hs-CRP, or D-Dimer.
  • Enlarged heart on chest radiograph.
  • Histopathologic examination of myocardial tissue (autopsy or endomyocardial biopsy) showed myocardial inflammation

Who cannot join

  • Clear alternative diagnosis or explanation for the symptoms and findings (e.g. infectious myocarditis such as Lyme carditis). Note: Work-up of alternative diagnosis is dependent on clinical presentation e.g. Lyme carditis (e.g. endemic area, season, bullseye rash) or autoimmune heart disease (e.g. arthritis, rash, recurrence).
  • Symptoms after 42 days of vaccination.

Trial locations and contacts

1 site in 1 country. Contact the study team or a site near you to ask about taking part.

Canada1 site, 1 recruiting
  • University of Ottawa Heart Institute

    Ottawa, Ontario, K1Y4W7

    Tahir Kafil, MD, 6136967327, tkafil@ottawaheart.ca

    Peter Liu, MD, 6136967351, pliu@ottawaheart.ca

    Recruiting

Other trials in Canada

About this study

Official title: COVID-19 Vaccine-induced Inflammatory Heart Disease Prevalence Registry (COVID-VIHPR)

Myocarditis and pericarditis are inflammatory diseases of the myocardium and pericardium, and can be related to different causes, including vaccines. In the past, some people developed inflammatory heart disease after receiving a live or inactive virus vaccine (smallpox vaccine or flu vaccine). Myocarditis was also seen in people with COVID-19. More recently, many countries reported that some people have developed an inflammatory condition of the myocardium or pericardium after receiving a vaccine for COVID-19.

After the COVID-19 vaccination campaigns, doctors have noticed more people presenting to the Emergency Department with chest pain and shortness of breath after receiving the vaccine, symptoms that resemble myocarditis or pericarditis. These symptoms may start between 2 to 10 days following vaccination and are frequently noticed after the second dose of the vaccines. While pericarditis seems to affect people of various age groups and gender, myocarditis is more commonly seen in young males.

Read more

The study will consist of two components. 1) The vaccine-induced inflammatory heart disease database will be established. There will be a retrospective chart review looking at vaccine myocarditis/pericarditis (Brighton Criteria Levels 1-3).

  1. There will be a prospective, pragmatic design case-control study for vaccine myocarditis/pericarditis. Follow-up telephone interview will be conducted at 6 months, 12 months and yearly up to 4 years. A record search will also be performed at 6 months, 12 months and yearly for 4 years.

The retrospective component of the study will be conducted by identifying patients previously diagnosed with this condition at participating centres.

Read the detailed description

The study will consist of two components. 1) The vaccine-induced inflammatory heart disease database will be established. There will be a retrospective chart review looking at vaccine myocarditis/pericarditis (Brighton Criteria Levels 1-3).

  1. There will be a prospective, pragmatic design case-control study for vaccine myocarditis/pericarditis.

This will be a multi-center study conducted in centers in Canada that treat post-vaccine inflammatory heart disease in both the inpatient and outpatient settings. Patients will be invited to participate in the Registry when they present to the Emergency Department, during inpatient admission, or in the Cardiology Outpatient Clinic. Patients will be invited to ask a relative or friend to contact the research site to serve as controls. The retrospective component of the study will be conducted by identifying patients previously diagnosed with this condition at participating centers.

At some centers, we will collect clinical information and include blood samples for biomarkers at the baseline/recruitment visit and first follow-up visit for cases and at a research study visit for controls. The follow-up visit is expected to be between 4 and 12 weeks after the initial visit.

The UOHI will see the patients for clinical purposes and the research data will be captured at the same time points. These are expected at baseline/initial visit and then a 4-12-weeks follow-up visit. Clinical assessments and bloodwork will be conducted at the two visits. Subsequent follow-up via telephone interview will be conducted after 6 months, 12 months and every year for 4 years, with a script-based questionnaire to ascertain the patient's clinical status and the achievement of clinical endpoints. Patients will be asked to complete a quality-of-life questionnaire.

Medical subject headings
Myocarditis, Pericarditis

What participants receive

What participants receive. In a randomised study each person is assigned to one group by chance.

Study groups in NCT05046002
Study groupRoleWhat they receive
Prospective (cases)Patients who develop new symptoms of suspected myocarditis/pericarditis within 42 days of receiving a COVID-19 vaccination. The clinical symptoms include chest pain, pressure, or discomfort; dyspnea, shortness of breath, or pain with breathing; palpitations; diaphoresis or sudden death. The symptoms can also be non-specific, including fatigue, abdominal pain, dizziness or syncope, edema, cough or irritability, vomiting, poor feeding, tachypnea or lethargy in young children
Prospective (Control Negative)Family members/relatives who have been vaccinated in a similar timeframe with the participants but did not experience myocarditis side-effects. If a relative is not available, then a voluntary control who has received the same COVID-19 vaccine in a similar time frame can be recruited.
RetrospectiveIdentified patients, previously diagnosed with the condition, at participating centers

What is being measured

The primary outcome is the main question the study is designed to answer.

  1. Proportion of patients with autoimmune disease

    To identify how many patients (in each group) have a history of autoimmune disease

    Measured: 30 days

  2. Composite of MACE

    To identify major cardiovascular events - death, ventricular arrhythmia, heart block, heart failure, LV dysfunction (LVEF<55%), cardiac tamponade, re-hospitalization for cardiac reasons

    Measured: 30 days

Secondary outcomes (4)
  1. Recurrence of myocarditis/pericarditis

    similar symptoms compared to baseline

    Measured: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, every year for 4 years

  2. Atrial arrhythmias

    irregular atrial heart rhythms

    Measured: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, every year for 4 years

  3. Cardiovascular mortality

    death from any cardiac cause

    Measured: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, every year for 4 years

  4. Quality of life data

    EQ-5D-5L questionnaires

    Measured: 3 months, 6 months, 12 months, every year for 4 years

Timeline

From the start of the study to its completion; the mark is today. Estimated dates are the sponsor’s plan.

  1. First posted16 Sep 2021
  2. Study start11 Aug 2021
  3. Primary completion30 Dec 2026 (estimated)
  4. Study completion31 Dec 2026 (estimated)

Resources

More details

For doctors and researchers: how the study is designed, who runs it, and its registry IDs.

Study design
Study type
Observational
Observational model
Case-control
Time perspective
Prospective
Enrolment
400 participants (estimated)
Target duration
4 Years
IDs, dates and publications
ClinicalTrials.gov ID
NCT05046002
Sponsor's protocol ID
CTO 3740
Acronym
COVID-VIHPR
Status last verified
Jan 2026
First submitted
16 Aug 2021
Last updated
28 Jan 2026
Results posted
No
Data monitoring committee
No
FDA-regulated drug
No
FDA-regulated device
No
Individual data sharing
Undecided: To be determined

Questions about this trial

What is this clinical trial studying?

An observational study of Myocarditis and Pericarditis, run by Ottawa Heart Institute Research Corporation at 1 site in Canada.

The full registered description is in the About this study section and the official record.

Who may be eligible to take part?

The sponsor lists 13 inclusion and 2 exclusion criteria. Eligibility is decided by the study team after screening, so read the full criteria and contact a listed site.

Is this clinical trial currently recruiting?

The record says: looking for participants now, as of the sponsor's last update on 28 Jan 2026. Status can change between updates, so confirm with the study contact before making plans.

Where is the study taking place?

The record lists 1 site in Canada. Whether a site is taking part right now should be confirmed with that site. See every site.

What are the possible benefits and risks?

They depend on the study and the treatment, and no study can promise a benefit. The study team explains the known risks during informed consent, before anyone joins; the record itself does not list them.

Are results available for this study?

This study is still under way. Results are not available in the source record yet.

How can a doctor refer a patient or contact the research team?

Contact Peter Liu, MD (6136967351, pliu@ottawaheart.ca), or a site near the patient. AzTrials does not enrol participants or take referrals.

What does the primary outcome measure?

Proportion of patients with autoimmune disease (time frame: 30 days). The study lists 2 primary outcomes in all. It is what the study was designed to measure, not a finding.

Where can I read the original study information?
Does a listing mean the treatment is approved or proven to work?

No. A listing means the study is registered. It does not show that the treatment is safe, works, or is approved by a regulator.

How often is this information updated?

AzTrials copies changed records from ClinicalTrials.gov every night and reloads the whole registry every week. The sponsor last updated this record on 28 Jan 2026.

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