BENGALURU: A state government-commissioned investigation into the rising cases of sudden cardiac deaths among young adults in Karnataka has found no causal link between Covid-19 vaccination or prior infection and premature cardiovascular events.
The study, led by Dr KS Ravindranath, Director of Sri Jayadeva Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences and Research, was submitted to the state government on July 2.
The report followed a two-month pilot study of 251 patients aged 45 and below who were admitted to Jayadeva Hospital with coronary artery disease between April and May this year. Although 19 patients reported past Covid infection and nearly all (249 out of 251) had received at least one vaccine dose, the expert committee concluded there was no evidence to suggest these factors directly contributed to heart attacks or sudden cardiac deaths.
The geographical analysis showed that 47% of all cases were from Bengaluru, with smaller proportions from Tumkur (8%), Mandya, Kolar, and Ramanagara (5% each), and a combined 22% from other Karnataka districts. Patients from other states made up 5% of the study sample.
“The findings are clear — there is no link between Covid vaccination and sudden cardiac deaths. In fact, global studies show vaccines are protective against severe cardiovascular outcomes,” the report noted and instead highlighted that a worrying number of young patients lacked conventional risk factors like diabetes or hypertension, pointing to the need to explore newer mechanisms, possibly related to lifestyle or environmental changes.
When compared to pre-pandemic data from 2019, a notable increase was observed in lifestyle-related risk factors among patients under 40. The share of diabetics rose from 13.9% in 2019 to 20.5% in 2025, hypertension from 13.9% to 17.6%, and those with cholesterol disorders from 34.8% to 44.1%. Smoking also saw an increase from 48.8% to 51%.
While the study acknowledged a temporary rise in cardiovascular events in the immediate post-Covid phase — likely due to inflammation or stress — it dismissed long-term Covid or vaccine effects as causes for the current spike in young-onset heart disease.
The committee, comprising cardiologists, public health experts, and virologists, reviewed national and international literature, all of which reiterated that Covid posed a higher cardiovascular risk than the vaccine, particularly in severe or hospitalized cases. Some studies even showed that receiving two doses of vaccine was associated with lower risk of unexplained sudden death in healthy adults.
- Key Observations -
• Nearly 27% of patients had no traditional risk factors.
• 19 out of 251 patients had a past Covid infection; 53 had received one vaccine dose, 180 received two, and 17 received all three.
• Compared to 2019, risk factor prevalence in under-40s rose - diabetes (from 13.9% to 20.5%), hypertension (13.9% to 17.6%), and dyslipidemia (34.8% to 44.1%).
- Recommendations -
1. Establish a national registry and cardiac surveillance program to track sudden cardiac deaths among young adults.
2. Mandate autopsy-based reporting for unexplained deaths in this age group.
3. Launch routine heart screening in schools at age 15 to detect congenital and inherited heart conditions early.
4. Roll out public health campaigns to raise awareness about lifestyle-related cardiac risks.
5. Promote the “six S” approach - increased physical activity, smoking cessation, screen time reduction, sugar/salt intake control, adequate sleep, and stress management.
6. Push for ICMR-funded research into long-term cardiovascular effects of Covid-19 infection and vaccination through multi-center, collaborative studies.