The Foundation’s Professional Advisory Board, which is comprised of the country’s foremost experts on Marfan, Loeys-Dietz, and VEDS, just shared new recommendations on COVID-19 vaccines for children with these conditions. The statement follows the FDA’s recent emergency authorization of the Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine for children, ages 5-12.
The Professional Advisory Board continues to recommend that all eligible persons get vaccinated for COVID-19. This includes eligible children and pregnant and lactating individuals. It also includes people who had and recovered from COVID-19 infection.
The abundant data indicate that vaccination has very low risk, much lower than COVID infection, and that vaccination is far more likely to prevent serious complications than to cause them. This includes myocarditis (an inflammation of the heart muscle), which has occurred in a very small fraction of the millions of people who have been vaccinated, and which has been mild and has easily resolved with treatment in almost every case. Additionally, there is no reason to believe people with genetic aortic and vascular conditions are more at risk of developing myocarditis from the vaccine than any other person. COVID-19 infection is much more likely to injure the heart than vaccination.
The position of the Professional Advisory Board remains that the potential benefits of COVID-19 vaccination outweigh potential risks for individuals with Marfan syndrome or related conditions.
For more information, please read the complete statement.
