Special Episode 8. Myocarditis and Pericarditis in COVID19 patients with Dr James Sapontis
Covid vaccine induced Pericarditis-Myocarditis
Since the release of mRNA vaccines medical practitioners around the world have been receiving calls from patients complaining of chest discomfort typical of pericarditis some of these patients have also had associated ECG changes and cardiac enzyme elevation consistent with myocarditis. This phenomenon does not appear to be related to the non mRNA vaccines available.
Covid vaccine induced Pericarditis-Myocarditis
Since the release of mRNA vaccines medical practitioners around the world have been receiving calls from patients complaining of chest discomfort typical of pericarditis some of these patients have also had associated ECG changes and cardiac enzyme elevation consistent with myocarditis. This phenomenon does not appear to be related to the non mRNA vaccines available.
As of the 14th of November Australian data shows there have been 329 reports of likely myocarditis from 23.4 million delivered mRNA vaccine doses, a further 592 suspected but not confirmed cases and 1370 episodes of pericarditis. Based on this the TGA reported data for Australia estimates the rate of myocarditis or pericarditis after the first dose for men across all ages to be 2.1 per 100,000 and for women after the first dose to be 0.9 per 100,000. Rates following the second dose are higher with estimates of 2.7 per 100 000 for men and 1.1 per 100 000 for women. By comparison rates associated with the Covid 19 virus are estimated at the much higher rate of 11 per 100 000.
It should be noted that background normal rates of pericarditis for males aged 18-34 is 37 per 100,000 and for females aged 18-34 years the rate is 16 per 100,000.
TGA statistics also show higher suspected rates of myocarditis and pericarditis for boys aged 12-17 especially after their second dose of Pfizer estimated at 8.5 cases per 100,000 which is more than 3 times the overall rate amongst all males (2.7 per 100,000).
Reliable data for the Moderna mRNA vaccine are not yet available in Australia however overseas data suggests higher rates of myocarditis and pericarditis for male recipient's under the age of 30 years compared with the Pfizer vaccine.
It was a real privilege to have this conversation with Dr James's Sapontis director of cardiology at St John of God Hospital Berwick who has been fielding calls from primary practitioners seeing such patients and attending emergency admissions.
References:
Dr James's Sapontis : www.jamessapontis.com
www.health.gov.au :Covid 19 vaccination-Guidance on myocarditis and pericarditis
www.cdc.gov :Myocarditis and pericarditisafter mRNA Covid 19 vaccination
www1.racgp.org.au :TGA updates post-COVID vaccine myocarditis ratesTo be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.
Special Episode 7: COVID19 now and in the future with Professor Erwin Loh
Newfound freedom from lockdown in both Victoria and New South Wales will undoubtedly lead to greater COVID-19 exposure. Whilst widespread vaccination uptake has been achieved a significant number of adults and our children remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to the Delta strain. What can we expect from the health perspective for those exposed?
Newfound freedom from lockdown in both Victoria and New South Wales will undoubtedly lead to greater COVID-19 exposure. Whilst widespread vaccination uptake has been achieved a significant number of adults and our children remain unvaccinated and vulnerable to the Delta strain. What can we expect from the health perspective for those exposed?
What are the health departments rules governing exposure? Is there a plan for rapid antigen testing in our community and what about version 2.0 of the vaccines?
Join me with Professor Erwin Loh, Chief Medical Officer from St Vincent’s health who has a superb grasp of world health data and is an expert in translating research evidence into best practice.
References:
https://www.health.gov.au › newsCoronavirus (COVID-19) case numbers and statistics - Australian ...
https://www.worldometers.info › aus...Australia COVID - Coronavirus Cases - Worldometer
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.
Special Episode 6. Mental Health in a time of Covid (and the polyvagal ladder) with Brenda Sutherland
Mental health has become a major casualty of the Covid pandemic that has swept across the globe and been responsible for rolling lockdowns throughout Australia restricting personal freedoms, social contact and the ability to prosper financially. No one is exempt from this unprecedented event and the anxiety, depression and anguish wrought is having a major effect on the health and wellbeing of our communities.
Mental health has become a major casualty of the Covid pandemic that has swept across the globe and been responsible for rolling lockdowns throughout Australia restricting personal freedoms, social contact and the ability to prosper financially. No one is exempt from this unprecedented event and the anxiety, depression and anguish wrought is having a major effect on the health and wellbeing of our communities.
To discuss the indicators that a patient or friend may be experiencing evolving or established mental health difficulties and learning methods for shifting patients holistically out of collapse we have a conversation with psychologist Brenda Sutherland founder and director of The Awakening Group. Brenda teaches us about the polyvagal ladder and how to use an understanding of this insight to instructively and empathically assist our most vulnerable patients.
Brenda's extensive knowledge of the human mental state in distress and happiness and her work with Bessel van de Kolk, Stan Tatkin and Byron Katie have placed her in an outstanding position to guide us on this subject.
Please enjoy the conversation.
References:
The Awakening Group.com.au
https://awakening.com.au/lms/2021/08/24/ventral-vibes-project/
Mental health services in Australia, COVID-19 impact on mental health
Weekend Australian - Aug 28-29 pages 1&6
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.
Special Episode 4. Covid-19: My Indian Experience with Dr Shashikanth Manikappa
In this episode, we share an intimate conversation with Dr Shashi Manikappa who has spent the past 18 months in India’s heartland volunteering medical care to those affected by the Covid pandemic. Whilst over 400 million Indians have received at least one dose of vaccine to date, on the ground in India treatment protocols embracing the use of Ivermectin in combination with other drugs have gained significant popularity and anecdotal support as an effective treatment. Shashi discusses the value of these protocols as used in India and the medical experience and perspective gathered during his time there. It is acknowledged that the protocols discussed in this episode have not been endorsed for use in Australia.
In this episode, we share an intimate conversation with Dr Shashi Manikappa who has spent the past 18 months in India’s heartland volunteering medical care to those affected by the Covid pandemic. Whilst over 400 million Indians have received at least one dose of vaccine to date, on the ground in India treatment protocols embracing the use of Ivermectin in combination with other drugs have gained significant popularity and anecdotal support as an effective treatment. Shashi discusses the value of these protocols as used in India and the medical experience and perspective gathered during his time there. It is acknowledged that the protocols discussed in this episode have not been endorsed for use in Australia.
Dr Shashikanth Manikappa, MBBS,MD, DNB, FANZCA, FCA, PG Dip Echo
Specialist Anaesthetist I Cardiac Anaesthesia and Perioperative Medicine, Melbourne Australia
Adj. Professor, ESIC Medical College & Hospital, Hyderabad, India
Adj. Professor, Raja Rajeswari Medical College & Hospital, Bangalore, India
Honorary Clinical Senior Lecturer, The University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
Adjunct Senior Lecturer, Faculty of Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.
Special Episode 3. COVID-19 Vaccines with Professor Tony Cunningham
As the Covid pandemic continues to spread around the world with over 187 million recorded infections and 4 million deaths, countries including Australia have embarked upon vaccination programs including the use of mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna), viral vector (Astra Zeneca), and subunit protein vaccines (Novovax).
As the Covid pandemic continues to spread around the world with over 187 million recorded infections and 4 million deaths, countries including Australia have embarked upon vaccination programs including the use of mRNA (Pfizer and Moderna), viral vector (Astra Zeneca), and subunit protein vaccines (Novovax).
In Australia currently, less than 10% of our population have been fully vaccinated leaving our population exposed and subject to repeat widespread population lockdowns and contact tracing via local health departments.
Hesitancy to receive vaccination in part relates to perceived side-effects from vaccines as much as from difficulties relating to supply delivery.
In this episode, we are joined by Professor Tony Cunningham, Infectious disease physician and co-director of the Centre for virus research at WIMR who generously discusses vaccine side-effects including vaccine-induced thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome (VITT), myocarditis and pericarditis as well as anaphylaxis. In this conversation, we delve into some very interesting aspects of vaccination and speculate on how the future may look for us all.
Please welcome Professor Tony Cunningham.
References include :
Australian Government Department of Health - joint statement from ATAGI and THANZ on thrombosis with thrombocytopenia syndrome and the use of COVID-19 vaccine Astrazeneca (23rd May 21 ) The ATAGI statement on revised recommendations on the use of COVID-19 vaccine Astrazeneca (17 June 2021) Professor Tony Cunningham, www.westmead institute .org.au
To be a guest on the show or provide some feedback, I’d love to hear from you: manager@gihealth.com.au
Dr Luke Crantock MBBS, FRACP, is a gastroenterologist in practice for over 25 years. He is the founder of The Centre for GI Health, based in Melbourne Australia and is passionate about educating General Practitioners and patients on disease prevention and how to manage and improve their digestive health.