Thai princess remains unconscious following sudden cardiac event

44-year-old Kingdom of Thailand Princess Bajarakitiyabha is still unconscious more than three weeks after suffering a sudden cardiac event.  

Bajarakitiyabha, King Maha Vajiralongkor’s eldest child and a possible heiress to the throne, was preparing her dogs for a competition in northeastern Nakhon Ratchasima province on December 15^th when she suffered myocarditis, which caused severe heart arrhythmia. The myocarditis stemmed from a mycoplasma infection, according to Reuters. The princess fell unconscious and has remained so since. 

"Doctors continue to provide medicine and use equipment to support the functions of the heart, lung and kidney as well as using antibiotics while monitoring her condition closely," said the palace in a statement. 

Mycoplasma, a bacterium which infects different parts of the body, generally causes mild symptoms. It can lead to mild pneumonia or tracheobronchitis, among other common illnesses. Mycoplasma infections are most contracted during summer and fall, and hospitalizations are rare. 

But in some rare cases, a mycoplasma infection can cause myocarditis or pericarditis. 

“Cardiac involvement is regarded as an uncommon complication of [myoplasma] pneumoniae infection,” says a 2015 study on the condition. “Pericarditis, myocarditis or pericardial effusion with or without tamponade effect have been described. It is more commonly found in adults than in paediatric patients. Fortunately, the outcome is generally good. Only a minority of patients had long-term sequelae and mortality is rare.” 

Mycoplasma can be spread via airborne droplets, such as when someone sneezes or coughs. It can also be contracted from the COVID-19 vaccine, which Pfizer says can cause tracheobronchitis mycoplasmal, bronchitis mycoplasmal, or pneumonia mycoplasmal.

Over 82% of Thai’s population has received at least one dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. On Monday, the government rescinded its decision from Saturday to reinstate the vaccine mandate for travelers, which it scrapped in October. 

Much of King Vajiralongkor’s fortune, estimated to be between $30 billion–$60 billion, comes from a medical firm he owns called Siam Bioscience. The biopharmaceutical company was founded in 2009 and operated at a loss until 2020, when the company began manufacturing AstraZeneca’s COVID-19 vaccine. In 2021 the company reported a staggering 50-fold increase in profits after landing a contract to make 200 million doses.