Short-term effects of COVID-19 vaccines on cardiac biomarkers: A comparative study between Pfizer/BioNTech and Sinopharm

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the potential cardiac side effects associated with Pfizer/BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines.

Methods: A total of 200 healthy volunteers were enrolled after receiving two doses of Pfizer/BioNTech or Sinopharm vaccine 21 days apart. In addition, 100 healthy, unvaccinated individuals were included as a control group. Cardiac biomarkers such as cardiac troponin-I (cTnI), creatinine kinase–myocardial band (CK-MB), and myoglobin (MYO) were measured 4 days after receiving the second dose of vaccine. In addition, the SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibody levels of all participants were also determined.

Results: Post-vaccination findings in both vaccinated groups were comparable. There was no statistically significant difference in cTnI, MYO, and CK-MB levels between the Pfizer/BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccine groups. Furthermore, our results showed that the levels of SARS-CoV-2 neutralizing antibodies stimulated by the Pfizer–BioNTech vaccine were significantly higher (171.19, p < 0.001) compared to the Sinopharm vaccine (70.14). Owing to the successful efficacy of the vaccine and based on the available data, COVID-19 vaccines remain the best option to eliminate the pandemic and its complications.

Conclusion: Our study shows that both Pfizer–BioNTech and Sinopharm vaccines are safe for the heart in the short term, with no significant changes in cardiac biomarkers observed four days after vaccination. The findings suggest that these vaccines are effective and do not pose an immediate risk to cardiovascular health within the observed time frame. However, further research is required to assess the long-term cardiac safety profiles of these vaccines.