Myocarditis is a serious heart disease, in which the myocardial muscle is inflamed. Studies of this disease began long ago - as early as the beginning of the 19th century, and since then, medicine has learned enough about this pathology.
Why does myocarditis occur?
Today it is reliably known that myocarditis causes viruses, microbes, fungi and protozoa. The most common cause of myocarditis is a viral disease, and towards this statement there are several facts:
- During periods of viral epidemics, cases of myocarditis are most often recorded;
- when examining the nasopharynx and urine of a patient with acute myocarditis, doctors find antiviral antibodies;
- from the myocardium viruses and their agents are isolated.
Given this, it can be said that a viral infection can provoke myocarditis, but this does not exclude the possibility of multiple infections.
Types of myocarditis
Before you know the symptoms of myocarditis, you need to understand its types, which today number 5:
- rheumatic - is caused by systemic damage to the membranes of the heart;
- infectious - caused by bacteria and viruses;
- allergic - develops against the background of an allergic reaction to medicines;
- arising due to systemic diseases of connective tissue, and also due to injuries - burns, radioactive irradiation, etc .;
- idiopathic - has unknown causes of occurrence.
Signs of myocarditis
Symptoms of myocarditis can be different - mild or acute. They depend on what caused the inflammation of the myocardium.
Clinical signs of infectious myocarditis
Infectious myocarditis can be acute and subacute. Its symptoms range from mild to severe, depending on many factors. It occurs in a number of infectious diseases - typhoid fever, scarlet fever, pneumonia, tonsillitis, etc.
Symptoms of infectious myocarditis also depend on what changes occurred in the myocardium: if it is a question of diffuse lesions, then the working muscles are affected and heart failure develops. If there is a focal lesion, then the transmission of impulses suffers, which leads to a violation of the rhythm of the heart.
At inspection it is revealed, that the heart is increased in diameter, and on ek the signs of a myocarditis is shown in deaf tones. In muscles, there may be noise.
Tachycardia is one of the first symptoms of myocarditis, but it is not always accompanied by fever and has nothing to do with it. The specificity of myocarditis is that tachycardia acts as a sign of weakness of the heart muscle.
In acute myocarditis, the symptoms are as follows: the patient may have a pallor of the skin, mucous membranes, observed shortness of breath and pain in the heart. Vascular insufficiency is a characteristic feature for infectious myocarditis. Among the symptoms of myocarditis is also observed subfebrile temperature and sweating.
Symptoms of viral myocarditis practically do not differ from the symptoms of infectious myocarditis, since here the difference is only in the causative agent - bacteria or viruses.
The patient in both cases lowers blood pressure, there may be ciliary or extrasystolic arrhythmia.
Symptoms of rheumatic myocarditis
The manifestation of rheumatic myocarditis is not as acute as in the case of an infectious or viral form. The patient feels shortness of breath, as a rule, only after loads, as well as unpleasant sensations in the heart. Interruptions in his work are rare, however, despite this, it is extremely important to observe a cardiologist.
At examination, a slight increase in the heart to the left or a diffuse enlargement may be observed.
Signs of idiopathic myocarditis
With idiopathic myocarditis, the course of the disease is severe.
Idiopathic myocarditis can be accompanied by severe heart rhythm disturbances and malignant course. There is an opinion that this form of myocarditis can be associated with autoimmune disorders.
Signs of an allergic myocarditis
With allergic myocarditis, symptoms are observed at most 48 hours after the administration of the medication, which causes allergies. Its manifestations are no different from manifestations of infectious and rheumatic myocarditis.