On Dec. 16, 2024, a study published in BMC Cardiovascular Disorders shows that pediatric and young adult COVID-19 patients are more at risk for cardiac complications than flu or RSV patients of the same age. 

The study was based on hospitalized U.S. patients from 2020 through 2021 tracked through the National Inpatient Sample. In total 212,655 respiratory virus admissions were recorded, including 85,055 from COVID-19, 103,185 from RSV, and 24,415 from influenza.

A total of 740 patients with COVID-19 also experienced myocarditis, compared to 55 patients who had flu and 65 with RSV. The odds of myocarditis were 61% lower in influenza (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] 0.39), and 85% lower in RSV (aOR 0.15) compared to COVID-19. Looking at bradyarrhythmias, compared to COVID-19, the odds were 49% lower in RSV but not statistically significant different with flu.