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Harrowing Story of this Myocarditis Survivor

My myocarditis story begins like so many others. I came home from a weekend road trip to Canada. After I came home, I called a friend and had a short conversation with him. I started to draft a paper for school. I remember feeling somewhat excited to write this paper, because it was the last assignment that I had to do before my graduation from Law School.

I remember typing, and all of sudden, I had a partial out of body experience. I remember feeling as if one foot was still inside my body, while the other foot had left my body. I thought to myself, “This is really strange; I should probably go to bed.”

As I was sleeping, I started to feel ill.  I had no chest pains, but began…

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Amid growing concerns that a bout of COVID-19 might damage the heart, a small study is reporting signs of an inflammatory heart condition in college athletes who had the infection.

 It Began With Sudden Blackouts. Then Came Some Alarming News

The biopsy results came back the next day. It was giant-cell myocarditis (G.C.M.), the most dangerous of the possibilities. This mysterious and deadly autoimmune disease has only been diagnosable before autopsy since the development of the heart biopsy some 50 years ago. Effective treatment has only recently emerged.

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 When a Virus Turns Deadly: What You Should Know About Myocarditis

An inflammation of the heart muscle, myocarditis can be life-threatening if not treated in time. One young survivor shares his story.

 When Your Heart Fails You

Why it infiltrated my heart, causing something called myocarditis, no one knows, but it kills more than 300,000 people globally each year. “How can a common virus disable a perfectly healthy heart?” I asked my cardiologist, Dr. Fernando Mendoza. “I’ve had patients in their 20s die of this,” he said. They collapse and never get up.

Articles of Interest

Myocarditis Around the World

In developed countries, viral infections commonly cause myocarditis; however, in the developing world, rheumatic carditis following streptococcal infection and certain bacterial infections, such as diptheria (due to Corynebacterium diphtheriae), still contribute to the global burden of disease.

The Quest for New Approaches in Myocarditis and Inflammatory Cardiomyopathy

Myocarditis is a diverse group of heart-specific immune processes classified by clinical and histopathological manifestations. Up to 40% of dilated cardiomyopathy is associated with inflammation or viral infection. Recent experimental studies revealed complex regulatory roles for several microribonucleic acids and T-cell and macrophage subtypes.

This is why doctors practice cover your ass medicine

Viral myocarditis has been recognized as a cause of congestive heart failure for >50 years, but it is still a challenging disease to diagnose and treat. The history and clinical features are often nonspecific, and practical serological markers are not available during the acute phase of the disease.

Resources

Myocarditis Foundation

Myocarditis is a disease marked by inflammation and damage of the heart muscle. Although the exact incidence of myocarditis is not known, it is estimated that several thousand patients per year are diagnosed in the United States.

Mayo Clinic

When myocarditis is severe enough, the pumping action of your heart weakens and your heart is unable to supply the rest of your body with enough oxygen-rich blood. Clots can form in the heart as well, potentially leading to a stroke or heart attack.

MedicineNet

Myocarditis can be mild and cause virtually no noticeable symptoms. The most frequent symptom of myocarditis is pain in the chest. When myocarditis is more serious, it leads to weakening of the heart muscle. Myocarditis can then cause heart failure (with symptoms of shortness of breath, fatigue, fluid accumulation in the lungs, etc.) as well as heart rhythm irregularities from inflammation and/or scarring of the electrical system of the heart.

MedlinePlus

Myocarditis is an uncommon disorder that is usually caused by viral infections that reach the heart, including those due to the Coxsackie virus, adenovirus, and echovirus. It may also occur during or after various viral, bacterial, or parasitic infections (such as polio, influenza, or rubella).

Patient

Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle. There are various causes. Depending on the cause and severity, symptoms and possible problems can range from no symptoms at all, to life-threatening heart failure.

Texas Heart Institute

The myocardium is the muscular wall of the heart, or the heart muscle. It contracts to pump blood out of the heart and then relaxes as the heart refills with returning blood. The myocardium's smooth outer membrane is called the epicardium. Its inner lining is called the endocardium.