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Myocarditis - Symptom
Alternative Names
Inflammation - heart muscle
Symptoms:
There may be no symptoms. If symptoms occur, they may include:
- Abnormal heartbeat
- Chest pain that may resemble a heart attack
- Fatigue
- Fever and other signs of infection including headache, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, or rashes
- Joint pain or swelling
- Leg swelling
- Shortness of breath
Other symptoms that may occur with this disease:
- Fainting, often related to irregular heart rhythms
- Low urine output
Signs and tests:
A physical examination may reveal the following:
- Abnormal heartbeat or heart sounds (murmurs, extra heart sounds)
- Fluid in the lungs
- Rapid heartbeat (tachycardia)
- Swelling (edema) in the legs
Tests used to diagnosis myocarditis include:
- Blood cultures for infection
- Blood tests for antibodies against the heart muscle and the body itself
- Chest x-ray
- Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- Heart muscle biopsy (endomyocardial biopsy)
- Red blood cell count
- Ultrasound of the heart (echocardiogram)
- White blood cell count
- Reviewed last on: 5/15/2008
- Alan Berger, MD, Assistant Professor, Divisions of Cardiology and Epidemiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.
References
Liu PP, Schultheiss HP. Myocarditis. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Zipes DP. Libby: Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa: Saunders Elsevier; 2007;chap 66.
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