AIIMS study finds no link between COVID vaccines and deaths

A comprehensive, one-year autopsy-based observational study conducted at AIIMS, Delhi, has found no evidence linking COVID-19 vaccination with sudden deaths among young adults, reaffirming the safety of COVID-19 vaccines.

Sudden death in young adults is a significant concern requiring targeted public health strategies, the study said. Underlying coronary artery disease remains the leading cause and that respiratory and unexplained deaths warrant further investigation.

The study, titled “Burden of Sudden Death in Young Adults: A One-Year Observational Study at a Tertiary Care Centre in India,” has been published in the Indian Journal of Medical Research (IJMR), the flagship journal of the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR).

The research involved a detailed evaluation of sudden death cases through verbal autopsy, post-mortem imaging, conventional autopsy, and histopathological examination, carried out by a multidisciplinary team of experts.

The study examined sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 over a one-year period. No statistically significant association was found between COVID-19 vaccination status and sudden deaths in the young population, the study said.

Cardiovascular system-related causes constituted the most common cause of death in young, followed by respiratory-related causes and other non-cardiac conditions, the study said.

The COVID-19 illness history and vaccination status were found to be comparable between younger and older age groups, with no causal link identified.

The findings are consistent with global scientific evidence affirming the safety and effectiveness of COVID-19 vaccines.

Dr Sudheer Arava, Professor at AIIMS, New Delhi, asserted that the publication of this study assumes particular significance in light of misleading claims and unverified reports suggesting a connection between COVID-19 vaccination and sudden deaths.

He highlighted that the findings do not support such claims and emphasised that scientific, evidence-based research must guide public understanding and discourse.

Health experts reiterated that sudden deaths in young individuals, while tragic, are often related to underlying, sometimes undiagnosed medical conditions, especially cardiovascular diseases, and require focused public health interventions such as early screening, lifestyle modification, and timely medical care.

Dr Arava added, “Citizens are advised to rely on credible scientific sources and avoid misinformation that may undermine public confidence in proven public health interventions.”

The cross-sectional study was conducted at the departments of Pathology and Forensic Medicine and Toxicology, AIIMS, Delhi, from May 2023 to April 2024, and cases meeting the definition of sudden death were included, excluding trauma, suicide, homicide, and drug abuse.

Verbal autopsy, which involved interaction with the close relatives and friends of the deceased regarding the circumstances of the death, previous medical history, including COVID-19 disease and vaccination, drug abuse, smoking and alcohol habits were noted in a standard proforma with proper informed consent. All the autopsies were conducted within 48 hours of death.

Each case underwent whole-body imaging, autopsy, and histopathological examination. A multidisciplinary team comprising forensic experts, pathologists, radiologists, and clinicians determined the cause of death.

Comparative analysis was performed between sudden death in young adults (18-45) and older adults (46-65).

A total of 2,214 cases were received at the forensic mortuary during the study period, in which cases meeting the criteria of sudden death were 180.

Among the total sudden deaths, sudden death in young (18-45) accounted for 57.2 per cent (103) and sudden death in old (46-65) accounted for 42.8 per cent (77).

The incidence of sudden death in young people among the total autopsied cases (2,214) accounted for 4.7 per cent.

The study cohort included 94 cases of sudden death in young and 68 cases of sudden death in old; the rest (18) were excluded due to extensive autolytic changes. The mean age of young cases was 33.6 years with a male-to-female ratio of 4.5:1, the study stated.

The study pointed out that the higher incidence of young coronary artery disease (CAD)-related deaths observed in the present study is particularly concerning and remains under-documented in the Indian context.

A study from Kerala also reported a substantial burden of CAD-related mortality in the younger population, which may be attributed to changes in work-life, stress, and dietary habits.

In older individuals, CAD is still the single most common cause of sudden death all over the world. Pneumonia and disseminated tuberculosis were the leading respiratory-related causes.

“Despite numerous advancements in diagnostics and therapeutics of tuberculosis, it still remains the common cause of mortality in developing countries, emphasising the persistent gap between disease control efforts and ground-level outcomes,” the study highlighted.