Heart issue myocarditis 'higher than expected' in male service members after COVID shots, study

A new medical study finds a "higher than expected" number of myocarditis or heart inflammation cases among male military members after receiving their second mRNA COVID-19 shot.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed JAMA Cardiology journal Tuesday, found that 23 males 20 to 51, presented "acute onset of marked chest pain" within four days of receiving the second COVID-19 vaccine dose, according to The Epoch Times.

The case studied patients in the U.S. military health system from Jan. 1 to April 30. 

Seven received the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, and 16 received the Moderna vaccine. According to the study, more than 2.8 million doses of the COVID-19 vaccine were administered by the military health system.

"The observed number of male military members who experienced myocarditis after their second dose of mRNA vaccine, while relatively small, is substantially higher than the expected number," reads the study.

The authors cited a prediction of eight or fewer cases of myocarditis from the 436,000 male military members who received two vaccine doses.

The report said all the members who tested for myocarditis, a condition that causes the swelling of the heart muscle and can cause difficulty breathing, heart failure, and death, were all "physically fit by military standards and lacking any known history of cardiac disease, significant cardiac risk factors, or exposure to cardiotoxic agents."

The study's authors added that the risk of myocarditis is "relatively small."

Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Janet Woodcock, said last week the benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks.