Could spike protein-mediated fibrosis predispose to aortic dissection?

Implications for histopathological evaluation and differential diagnosis

First of all, my condolences to Senator Lindsay Graham’s family. He recently died (July 12, 2026) in his home at the age of 71 from an aortic dissection due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease, as determined by the Medical Examiner of the District of Columbia.¹

Figure 1: Senator Lindsay Graham. Source: https://abcnews.com/US/aortic-dissections-after-death-sen-lindsey-graham/story?id=134703286

Aortic dissections are rare, and involve the tearing of the inner lining of the aorta (tunica intima) - that big vessel attached to your heart that returns oxygenated blood to your body.

Figure 2: Aortic dissection. Source: https://medlineplus.gov/ency/article/000181.htm.

Please watch the following aortic dissection explanation video to learn more.

I mean no disrespect, but I am curious as to the potential role of spike protein-mediated fibrosis to predispose an aortic dissection.

The reason I am curious is two-fold:

1. Aortic dissections only began being reported to VAERS in 2020

2. I have researched connective tissue disorders and diseases due to increased reports of fibrotic scarring in the context of spike protein since 2020, and wonder if the loss of elasticity in his aorta was not due to arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease as diagnosed, but due to scarring from immunological damage due to spike protein persistence.

Figure 3: Reports of aortic dissection in VAERS - absolute counts (left) and annual rates per 100,000 reports (right). https://vaers.hhs.gov

It is well-known (and acknowledged by the Mayo Clinic) that there is an increased risk of aortic dissection with connective tissue disorders like Ehlers-Danlos syndrome and Loeys-Dietz syndrome.² There are 25 reports of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in VAERS from 2021 to the present. Prior to 2020, there were only 2 reports filed: 1 in 2015 and 1 in 2018.

Figure 4: Reports of Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome in VAERS - absolute counts (left) and annual rates per 100,000 reports (right). https://vaers.hhs.gov

I also checked for this obscure Loeys-Dietz syndrome in VAERS. There are no reports filed.

Should spike protein-related immune activation promote pathological wound repair and fibrosis within the aortic wall, the consequent reduction in vascular elasticity could elevate aortic wall stress and predispose individuals to dissection.

Multiple studies show SARS-CoV-2 spike protein can trigger endothelial inflammation (endotheliitis), oxidative stress and perivascular inflammation. Spike has been detected in vascular tissues and cardiac endothelium in some cases, sometimes persisting longer than expected.³⁴⁵⁶⁷⁸⁹¹⁰¹¹¹²

If I was the family and/or the coroner, I would request histological and immunohistochemical analyses of the dissection site to look for spike protein, amyloid deposits and abnormal immune-mediated remodeling or fibrosis in the aortic media.

Arteriosclerotic disease (as diagnosed) would reveal lipid-driven intimal plaques with secondary medial changes, while immune/fibrotic scarring would show prominent inflammatory infiltrates and diffuse fibrosis and possible direct spike detection with relatively spared intima from atheroma.

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Update from Wouter Aukema using EMA data.

Same picture. Like I’ve been saying for years. All sources of data - including VAERS - tell the same story.

1. https://abcnews.com/US/aortic-dissections-after-death-sen-lindsey-graham/story?id=134703286

2. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/aortic-dissection/symptoms-causes/syc-20369496

3. Mezache, L., Soltisz, A., Tili, E. et al. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein-induced inflammation underlies proarrhythmia in COVID-19. Sci Rep 15, 33991 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-025-12807-9

4. Perico L, Benigni A, Remuzzi G. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein and endothelial damage: a mechanistic link. Trends Microbiol. 2024;32(3):229-232. doi:10.1016/j.tim.2023.09.002

5. Yonker LM, Swank Z, Bartsch YC, et al. Circulating spike protein detected in post–COVID-19 mRNA vaccine myocarditis. Circulation. 2023;147(11):867-876. doi:10.1161/CIRCULATIONAHA.122.061025

6. Baumeier C, Aleshcheva G, Harms D, et al. Intramyocardial Inflammation after COVID-19 Vaccination: An Endomyocardial Biopsy-Proven Case Series. Int J Mol Sci. 2022;23(13):6940. doi:10.3390/ijms23136940

7. Schwab C, Domke LM, Hartmann L, et al. Autopsy-based histopathological characterization of myocarditis after anti-SARS-CoV-2-vaccination. Clin Res Cardiol. 2023;112(3):431-440. doi:10.1007/s00392-022-02178-0

8. Cao X, Nguyen V, Tsai J, et al. The SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces long-term transcriptional perturbations of mitochondrial metabolic genes, causes cardiac fibrosis, and reduces myocardial contractile in obese mice. Mol Metab. 2023;74:101756. doi:10.1016/j.molmet.2023.101756

9. Yang L, Nilsson-Payant BE, Han Y, et al. SARS-CoV-2 spike protein induces immunopathology and fibrosis in mouse hearts. bioRxiv. Preprint posted online July 20, 2022. doi:10.1101/2022.07.15.500000 (later published versions available)

10. Swank Z, et al. Persistent circulating SARS-CoV-2 spike is associated with post-acute COVID-19 sequelae. Clin Infect Dis. 2023;76(3):e487-e490. doi:10.1093/cid/ciac722

11. Miorin L, et al. Persistent SARS-CoV-2 infection and viral reservoirs in long COVID. Nat Immunol. 2024

12. Teixeira da Silva JA. Persistent spike protein and fibrotic sequalae in long COVID. Inflamm Res. 2024