Causes of Myocarditis

Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
Updated on September 18, 2024
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Myocarditis is also an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. Common causes are viral infections, such as Coxsackievirus B, Parvovirus B19, Human Herpesvirus 6, and Poliovirus, with Coxsackievirus B being the most common cause, accounting for about 30%-50%. Bacteria, fungi, spirochetes, rickettsiae, and protozoa can also cause myocarditis, but they are relatively rare. Non-infectious causes of myocarditis include drugs, radiation, connective tissue diseases, vasculitis, giant cell myocarditis, among others. These are all causes of myocarditis.

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Written by Xie Zhi Hong
Cardiology
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Is myocarditis cough severe?

Patients with myocarditis often exhibit early symptoms such as fever, cough, difficulty breathing, fatigue, and in severe cases, chest tightness and shortness of breath, even leading to shock or death, and syncope. Typically, the cough is not too severe, but if myocarditis is suspected, the patient should go to the hospital for timely diagnosis. Primary diagnostic tests include electrocardiogram, myocardial enzymes, and cardiac ultrasound. Once diagnosed, hospitalization for immediate treatment is necessary to prevent the condition from worsening. Because fulminant myocarditis can lead to death within days from minor symptoms, all myocarditis patients should be treated as severe cases and not be neglected.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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Is it good to soak your feet if you have myocarditis?

For myocarditis, whether soaking feet is good or bad is irrelevant because soaking feet has no effect on the treatment of myocarditis. For the treatment of myocarditis, there is general treatment and medication treatment. General treatments typically aim to reduce the cardiac load, such as resting and providing easily digestible food rich in vitamins and proteins, and soaking feet offers no benefit in these respects. Additionally, myocarditis should be treated with medications, including diuretics, vasodilators, ACE inhibitors as appropriate. If arrhythmias occur, anti-arrhythmic drugs should be provided, and if a viral infection is confirmed, specific antiviral treatment should be administered. Therefore, soaking feet is not significantly relevant. (Specific medication use should be conducted under the guidance of a doctor.)

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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 Tao Kun
Geriatrics
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Difference between myocarditis and myocardial injury

Myocarditis is inflammation of the myocardial cells caused by a virus that has not been timely cleared following a respiratory or gastrointestinal viral infection. It is a term used for disease diagnosis. Myocardial injury, on the other hand, refers to the necrosis of myocardial cells due to various factors, including viral myocarditis and myocardial ischemia caused by the narrowing of coronary arteries. Therefore, myocardial injury is a state diagnosis, not a term used for disease diagnosis. Myocardial injury usually leads to elevated levels of troponin.

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Written by Zhou Yan
Geriatrics
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How is myocarditis diagnosed?

The examination of myocarditis includes several aspects: First, the biochemical blood test shows that white blood cells can increase, erythrocyte sedimentation rate can accelerate, and both cardiac enzymes and troponins can rise. There may also be abnormalities in the electrocardiogram, such as arrhythmias or ST-segment changes. In addition, there are X-ray examinations, which can show an enlarged heart shadow or pulmonary congestion. Echocardiograms may not show any specific changes or can exhibit phase-dependent or regional abnormalities in ventricular wall motion. Furthermore, nuclear imaging and magnetic resonance imaging indicate the presence of fluttering and inflammatory changes. The virological examination can isolate the virus through throat swabs or stool samples, and if necessary, an endocardial or myocardial biopsy can be performed.