Can people with myocarditis drink alcohol?

Written by Zhou Yan

Geriatrics

Updated on January 07, 2025

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Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. Its pathogenesis is due to direct damage to the myocardium caused by viruses, and the interaction of the virus with the body's immune response to both myocardial injury and microvascular damage, which impairs the structure and function of the myocardial tissue. Drinking alcohol affects the myocardium and can also cause damage to it. Therefore, alcohol should not be consumed with myocarditis, as drinking can further aggravate the myocardium, leading to heart failure.

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Written by Zhou Yan

Geriatrics

1min 15sec

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Myocarditis is what?

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium, primarily caused by viral infections. Typically, signs of infection such as fever, generalized fatigue, muscle soreness, or gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting appear one to three weeks before the onset of myocarditis. Patients may experience palpitations, chest tightness, difficulty breathing, edema, and even fainting or sudden death. Clinically, viral myocarditis is mostly diagnosed due to arrhythmias as the main complaint or primary symptom, and in rare cases, it can lead to fainting or Aschoff's syndrome. For patients with myocarditis, timely examinations like myocardial enzymes, troponins, electrocardiograms, echocardiography, and cardiac MRI are crucial to confirm the diagnosis. Appropriate treatment should be administered to prevent the myocarditis from progressing to cardiac arrest or heart failure.

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Written by Zhou Yan

Geriatrics

1min 1sec

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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.

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Written by Tang Li

Cardiology

54sec

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What are the symptoms of myocarditis?

The clinical manifestations of myocarditis in patients depend on the extent and location of the lesion. Mild cases may have no symptoms at all, while severe cases can even present with heart failure and shock. Most patients have precursor symptoms of viral infection one to three weeks before the onset, such as fever, general fatigue, and muscle soreness. Some patients have gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Subsequently, they may experience palpitations, chest pain, breathing difficulties, edema, and even fainting or sudden death. The majority of clinically diagnosed myocarditis cases primarily present with or are primarily symptomatic of psychological frailty. A minority of patients may experience fainting or Aschner's syndrome as a result.

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Written by Xiao Chang Jiang

Cardiology

33sec

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Is myocarditis contagious?

Many people often ask if my myocarditis is contagious. Actually, myocarditis is a focal inflammatory lesion of the myocardium or a diffuse inflammatory disease of the entire myocardium. It is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium. Based on the cause, we classify it into infectious and non-infectious types. The infectious type is mostly caused by viruses, such as Coxsackievirus B, or by bacteria, while non-infectious type is caused by allergies. Generally, they are not contagious.

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Written by Zhou Yan

Geriatrics

1min 14sec

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Criteria for Diagnosing Myocarditis

The diagnosis of myocarditis is primarily clinical, based on typical precursor symptoms, corresponding clinical manifestations, and physical signs. The precursor symptoms usually occur one to three weeks before the onset, including symptoms of a viral infection such as fever, general fatigue, and muscle soreness, or gastrointestinal symptoms like nausea and vomiting. Subsequently, symptoms such as chest tightness, palpitations, difficulty breathing, and even fainting and sudden death may occur. The physical signs generally include arrhythmias, commonly premature atrial contractions, premature ventricular contractions, or conduction blocks. There may be an increased heart rate which does not correspond to the body temperature, and there could be the presence of second or third heart sounds or gallop rhythm. A minority of patients may show signs of heart failure. Tests can include electrocardiograms, enzymatic studies, or echocardiograms, and magnetic resonance imaging may show symptoms of myocardial injury. To confirm the diagnosis, an endomyocardial biopsy must be performed.