The Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) on Tuesday said that the COVID-19 vaccinations did not increase the risk of unexplained sudden deaths among Indian young adults. The medical research body further said that past COVID-19 hospitalisation, family history of sudden deaths and some lifestyle behaviours increased the incidence of unexplained sudden deaths among youngsters in India. "COVID-19 vaccination did not increase the risk of unexplained sudden death among young adults in India. Past COVID-19 hospitalization, family history of sudden death and certain lifestyle behaviors increased the likelihood of unexplained sudden death," the ICMR study on unexplained sudden deaths among youngsters titled Factors associated with unexplained sudden deaths among adults aged 18-45 years in India – A multicentric matched case–control study read. The researchers conducted the investigations after reports of sudden deaths among healthy adults in India started to emerge. These reports sparked concerns that these deaths may be linked to COVID-19 or the vaccine taken against it.
The ICMR was studying the unexplained sudden deaths among Indian adults aged between 18-45 years. Researchers enrolled 729 cases and 2,916 controls. The cases studied here were healthy individuals aged 18-45 years without any co-morbidities, who suddenly died of unexplained causes between October 1, 2021- March 31, 2023.Some of the causes identified for the rise in unexplained sudden deaths among adults included past COVID-19 hospitalisation, family history of sudden death, binge drinking 48 hours before death/research interview, use recreational drugs/substances, and performing vigorous-intensity physical activity 48 hours before death/research interview. "Two doses lowered the odds of unexplained sudden death, whereas single dose did not," the study by ICMR read.Earlier, Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya had also quoted the ICMR to caution those with a past history of severe COVID-19 infection against overexertion. His comments came after a series of sudden deaths reported in October this year from Navaratri celebrations across Gujarat.