Table of Contents
- Overview
- Symptoms
- Treatment
- Prevention
- Images
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle.
See also:
Alternative Names
Inflammation - heart muscle
Causes, incidence, and risk factors
Myocarditis is an uncommon disorder that is usually caused by viral, bacterial, or fungal infections that reach the heart.
Viral infections:
- Coxsackie
Cytomegalovirus Hepatitis C - Herpes
HIV - Parvovirus
Bacterial infections:
Chlamydia - Mycoplasma
- Streptococcus
- Treponema
Fungal infections:
- Aspergillus
- Candida
- Coccidioides
- Cryptococcus
- Histoplasma
When you have an infection, your immune system produces special cells that release chemicals to fight off disease. If the infection affects your heart, the disease-fighting cells enter the heart. However, the chemicals produced by an immune response can damage the heart muscle. As a result, the heart can become thick, swollen, and weak. This leads to symptoms of
Other causes of myocarditis may include:
- Allergic reactions to certain medications or toxins (alcohol, cocaine, certain chemotherapy drugs, heavy metals, and catecholamines)
- Being around certain chemicals
- Certain diseases that cause inflammation throughout the body (
rheumatoid arthritis ,sarcoidosis )
Review Date: 05/04/2010
Reviewed By: A.D.A.M. Editorial Team: David Zieve, MD, MHA, and David R. Eltz.
Previously reviewed by Issam Mikati, MD, Associate Professor of
Medicine. Feinberg School of Medicine, Northwestern University,
Chicago, IL. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network
(5/4/2010).
A.D.A.M., Inc. is accredited by URAC, also known as the American Accreditation HealthCare Commission (www.urac.org)
