Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle (myocardium). Myocarditis can affect your heart muscle and your heart's electrical system, reducing your heart's ability to pump and causing rapid or abnormal heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
A viral infection usually causes myocarditis, but it can result from a reaction to a drug or be part of a more general inflammatory condition. Signs and symptoms include chest pain, fatigue, shortness of breath, and arrhythmias.
Severe myocarditis weakens your heart so that the rest of your body doesn't get enough blood. Clots can form in your heart, leading to a stroke or heart attack.
Treatment for myocarditis depends on the cause.
Myocarditis care at Mayo Clinic
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
If you have a mild case of myocarditis or are in the early stages, you might have no symptoms or mild ones, such as chest pain or shortness of breath.
In serious cases, the signs and symptoms of myocarditis vary, depending on the cause of the disease. Common myocarditis signs and symptoms include:
When children develop myocarditis, they might have signs and symptoms including:
Contact your doctor if you have symptoms of myocarditis, particularly chest pain and shortness of breath. If you've had an infection, be alert for the symptoms of myocarditis and let your doctor know if they occur. If you have severe symptoms, go to the emergency room or call for emergency medical help.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Often, the cause of myocarditis isn't identified. Potential causes are many, but the likelihood of developing myocarditis is rare. Potential causes include:
Viruses. Many viruses are commonly associated with myocarditis, including the viruses that cause the common cold (adenovirus); hepatitis B and C; parvovirus, which causes a mild rash, usually in children (fifth disease); and herpes simplex virus.
Gastrointestinal infections (echoviruses), mononucleosis (Epstein-Barr virus) and German measles (rubella) also can cause myocarditis. It's also common in people with HIV, the virus that causes AIDS.
Myocarditis also sometimes occurs if you're exposed to:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Early diagnosis is key to preventing long-term heart damage. After a physical examination, your doctor might order one or more tests to confirm that you have myocarditis and determine its severity. Tests might include:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Severe myocarditis can permanently damage your heart muscle, possibly causing:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
There's no specific prevention for myocarditis. However, taking these steps to prevent infections might help:
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
Rest and reducing the workload on your heart is an important part of recovery. Your doctor will likely tell you what type of physical activity you can do during the months your heart is healing and when you can resume normal activities.
If you have lingering heart damage, it's important to keep salt to a minimum, restrict the amount of fluids you drink, drink a minimum amount of alcohol, if any, and avoid smoking. Your doctor will let you know what your fluid intake should be, as well as the amount of salt that's OK for you to include in your diet.
Source: http://www.mayoclinic.com
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