Editing Openai/695a53ec-35f0-8007-ad35-5c449df11377 (section)

===== 4) Rare inflammatory syndromes and cardiac inflammation (myocarditis/pericarditis) =====
* Myocarditis/pericarditis has been linked mainly to mRNA vaccines (rare overall, higher in some younger male groups, often after dose 2 in older formulations), but SARS-CoV-2 infection itself also increases myocarditis risk and can be higher than vaccination in some populations. PMC<ref>{{cite web|title=PMC|url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11213864/|publisher=pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov|access-date=2026-01-05}}</ref>
* For MIS-C / MIS-A, vaccination is generally protective compared with being unvaccinated and getting infected; MIS following vaccination is reported as rare in reviews. CDC<ref>{{cite web|title=CDC|url=https://www.cdc.gov/covid/hcp/vaccine-considerations/special-situations-and-populations.html|publisher=cdc.gov|access-date=2026-01-05}}</ref>

Pathology implication: the biggest driver of severe inflammatory pathology is typically infection, not vaccination—so immunity that reduces infection severity (often strongest in hybrid immunity) tends to reduce those risks overall. PMC<ref>{{cite web|title=PMC|url=https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10404859/|publisher=pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov|access-date=2026-01-05}}</ref>