Manifestations of myocarditis

Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
Updated on September 15, 2024
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Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. Its manifestations depend on the extent and location of the condition; mild cases may have no symptoms, while severe cases can lead to cardiogenic shock and sudden death. Most patients experience precursor symptoms of viral infection one to three weeks before onset, such as fever, general fatigue, and muscle soreness, or gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Subsequently, they may experience palpitations, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, and potentially fainting or sudden death. Clinically diagnosed myocarditis is mostly due to arrhythmias as the primary complaint, or patients seek treatment for common symptoms.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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What are the symptoms of myocarditis?

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. The clinical manifestations of viral myocarditis in patients depend on the extent and location of the lesions. Mild cases may have no symptoms at all, while severe cases can lead to cardiogenic shock or even sudden death. Most patients may have prodromal symptoms of viral infection one to three weeks before onset, such as fever, general fatigue, muscle soreness, or gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Subsequently, they may experience palpitations, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, edema, fainting, or sudden death.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Obvious symptoms of myocarditis

Myocarditis refers to the inflammatory disease of the myocardium, with viral infection being the most common cause. Therefore, the majority of patients exhibit precursor symptoms of a viral infection one to three weeks before onset, such as fever, general fatigue, muscle soreness, or gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting. This may be followed by palpitations, chest discomfort, chest pain, difficulty breathing, edema, and even fainting or sudden death. In the clinical diagnosis of myocarditis, the majority of cases initially present with symptoms of arrhythmias such as palpitations or a racing heart, but a minority may also experience fainting or Adams-Stokes syndrome (also known as cardiogenic cerebral ischemia).

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Written by Yao Li Qin
Pediatrics
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Is pediatric myocarditis curable?

Myocarditis in children is generally caused by a viral infection, which means viral myocarditis is the most common type. This condition indicates that the virus has damaged the myocardial cells, leading to severe symptoms such as heart failure and cardiogenic shock. Once myocarditis is diagnosed in a child, it is crucial to hospitalize and treat them actively. While treating myocarditis, it is essential to use medications that nourish the myocardium and actively treat the primary disease. Most children with myocarditis have a favorable prognosis, but fulminant myocarditis has a poor prognosis, carrying a certain risk of mortality.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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What is the best treatment for myocarditis?

Myocarditis currently has no specific treatment and mainly focuses on supportive treatment for left ventricular dysfunction. Patients should avoid exertion and rest appropriately. In cases of heart failure, diuretics, vasodilators, and other drugs such as H1 may be used as needed. If rapid arrhythmias occur, antiarrhythmic drugs should be administered. For high-degree atrioventricular block or sinoatrial node dysfunction that causes syncope or significant hypotension, the use of a temporary pacemaker may be considered. Moreover, clinically, drugs that promote myocardial metabolism, such as adenosine triphosphate, coenzyme A, adenylic acid, etc., should be used. Treatment should also target the underlying causes of myocarditis.

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Written by Xiao Chang Jiang
Cardiology
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Is myocarditis serious?

Is myocarditis serious? In fact, myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. Patients with myocarditis may experience symptoms such as fatigue, palpitations, shortness of breath, discomfort or pain in the precordial area, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain, diarrhea, etc. During examinations, we often see slight enlargement of the heart, arrhythmias, gallop rhythm, and other manifestations of heart dysfunction. In severe cases, myocarditis can lead to fulminant myocarditis, such as severe heart failure or cardiogenic shock, often accompanied by arrhythmias. Even with timely and standard treatment, death may occur due to the severity of the condition. Even if patients with myocarditis recover, they may still have some sequelae on the electrocardiogram, such as atrioventricular block, bundle branch block, premature beats, or junctional rhythm.