The Additional Board of Directors Foundation Toll Free Be Alert to Myocarditis MYOCARDITIS Joseph Rumore: Heart Transplant 2006; FOUNDATION former Managing Director of a national insurance 1-866-846-1600 in hildren company. C : Board of Directors You Can Help Clement Weinberger, PhD: former Director of A Guide for Physicians Medical Communications and Training for a major Please Donate: The Foundation board is comprised of medical professionals international pharmaceutical company. By Mail: Myocarditis Foundation with experience in myocarditis and lay persons who have Elizabeth Schultz, M.D.: Board Certified been touched by the disease. The founding members of the Clinical Pathologist and current co-director of a 2201 River Road #3401 Board of Directors are listed below. private charitable foundation. Point Pleasant, NJ 08742 Leslie T. Cooper, M.D., MF President, is a Online: www.myocarditisfoundation.org Professor of Medicine and a cardiologist at Lori Blauwet, M.D.: Cardiovascular Diseases the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN, who has a Associate Consultant, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN Click DONATE Link longstanding interest in treating myocarditis. DeLisa Fairweather, PhD: Myocarditis The Myocarditis Foundation (MF) seeks to increase He edited the textbook, Myocarditis: From researcher, John Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD awareness and hasten progress in understanding myocarditis Bench to Bedside, and leads several clinical by awarding grants to help guarantee that new and innovative studies on the diagnosis and treatment of Michael Austry: Media Executive, Dallas, Tx research avenues are thoroughly funded and explored. Please myocarditis. donate now. New Jersey The MF is a private, non-profit organization that exists to Candace C. Moose, Executive Director, is Information filed with the attorney general concerning this charitable solicitation educate physicians and the public about this rare disease and a Giant Cell Myocarditis survivor and heart and the percentage of contributions received by the charity during the last reporting support the patients and their families who have been affected transplant recipient. She is a retired nurse, period that were dedicated to the charitable purpose may be obtained from by the disease. Copies of our materials will be available without wife, mother and grandmother, a speaker the attorney general of the state of New Jersey by calling 973-504-6215 and is charge. All of the money donated to MF will go directly to and advocate for organ donation and is also available on the internet at http://www.State.NJ.US/lps/ca/charfrm.Htm. Registration programs and services. the author of the book, The Grateful Heart: with the attorney general does not imply endorsement. North Carolina For more information: Diary of a Heart Transplant. MYOCARDITIS Financial information about this organization and a copy of its license are available [email protected] from the State of North Carolina Solicitation Licensing Branch at 800-830-4989. FOUNDATION Mario C. Deng, M.D. is the Director of the Advanced Program, Internet Resources including Medical Directorship of Mechanical Medical Advisory Board Children’s Foundation: Circulatory Support and Heart Transplant- at www.childrenscardiomyopathy.org the University of California in Los Angeles. Knowledge Peripartum Cardiomyopathy Support Network: He is an advanced heart failure and Akira Matsumori, MD– Professor of Medicine, transplantation cardiologist. Additionally, he Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyoto www.amothersheart.org has authored many scientific publications and University Graduate School of Medicine, Kyoto, Parent Heart Watch: Nurtures most recently served as a board member of Japan. the International Society of Heart and Lung www.parentheartwatch.org Transplantation. Bruce M. McManus, PhD, MD, FRSC, Compassionate Friends: Hope. . . James A. Moose, MBA, is a healthcare FCAHS – Professor & Director, The James Hogg www.compassionatefriends.org executive with experience in pharmaceuticals, iCAPTURE Centre, University of British Columbia- MayoClinic: St. Paul’s Hospital Scientific Director, The Heart diagnostics, and medical devices. He has held www.mayoclinic.org/myocarditis/research.html various management positions at Johnson Centre-Providence Health Care, Vancouver, British Your journey is just beginning & Johnson and other major companies. Columbia, Canada. www.mayoclinic.com/health/myocarditis/DS00521 Mr. Moose is currently retired and provides American Heart Association Dennis M. McNamara, MD– Associate Professor consulting services in addition to his work for www.americanheart.org the Myocarditis Foundation. of Medicine; Director, Heart Failure Section; Director, Cardiomyopathy Clinic and Heart Failure Research MyocarditisFoundation.org The Myocarditis Program, Cardiovascular Institute at University of Website Resources Jeff S. Grant, retired founding board member, Pittsburgh Medical Center Presbyterian, Pittsburgh, Foundation is a computer programmer, and a Giant Cell PA. For Myocarditis Patients: The Patient Survey is here Myocarditis patient, currently undergoing treatment. Steven D. Colan, M.D.– Professor of Pediatrics For Patients and Families who have lost loved ones to at Harvard Medical School and Associate Chief of to help. Cardiology at Boston Children’s Hospital. myocarditis: The Message Board For Medical Professionals: Myocarditis resources and research grant information www.myocarditisfoundation.org The MYOCARDITIS FOUNDATION Knowledge Nurtures Hope Myocarditis is a rare, potentially life-threatening inflammatory Clinical Presentation ruled-out simply on the appearance of a normal chest x-ray. disorder of the myocardium. It is a common cause of heart Signs and symptoms of myocarditis at initial presentation are Electrocardiography: Electrocardiograms are usually abnormal in Possible Diagnostic Findings in failure in otherwise healthy children and accounts for up to one- highly variable in the pediatric population. Children may present pediatric myocarditis patients. Evidence of cardiac involvement third of the cases of pediatric . The true with complaints of mild, non-specific flu-like symptoms or with may include sinus (commonly seen), low voltage incidence of myocarditis in children is unknown because some evidence suggestive of cardiac involvement such as acute QRS complexes, ST- abnormalities, prolonged Pediatric Myocarditis cases are subclinical, and the presentation of those cases chest pain. A subset of cases recall history of a viral prodrome QT intervals and/or . Left ventricular severe enough to come to the attention of a pediatrician can followed by the sudden onset of symptoms consistent with hypertrophy with associated repolarization changes are vary widely, making a timely and accurate diagnosis challenging. cardio-pulmonary involvement such as severe chest pain, Chest Radiograph: Recognition is even more difficult in very young children respiratory distress (tachypnea, dyspnea) and/or fatigue, pallor, because they cannot clearly describe their symptoms. Notably, lethargy or cyanosis suggesting hemodynamic compromise. Signs of congestive heart failure (pulmonary venous congestion, the initial signs and symptoms are often those of more common A three-tiered classification of myocarditis is based upon the type Possible Physical Exam Findings in Pediatric pulmonary edema, atelectasis, pleural effusions) pediatric illnesses and may not suggest obvious cardiac and severity of presenting symptoms coupled with the clinical involvement. Including myocarditis in the differential diagnosis course and outcomes. Fulminant myocarditis appears to be Myocarditis Electrocardiogram: of children presenting with nonspecific symptomatology when preceded by a viral prodrome in children followed by acute onset / (atrial , , the clinician maintains a reasonable degree of clinical suspicion of cardio-pulmonary signs and symptoms consistent with severe • Tachycardia/ arrhythmias (gallop with S3 can be lifesaving. Most children with myocarditis do recover hemodynamic decompensation. Despite the serious nature of the ventricular ectopy) with treatment, but a substantial percentage may progress to initial illness, the prognosis for recovery and long-term survival for impulse) ST - T Wave abnormalities serious cardiopulmonary compromise leading to death or heart these cases is excellent if the patients survive the acute episode. • Cold extremities/ weak peripheral pulses/ transplantation. Prompt diagnosis is imperative to allow for Acute myocarditis has a milder, less-distinct presentation but more Left (less commonly right ventricular rapid and appropriate treatment of these children to optimize often progresses to dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure, poor capillary refill hypertrophy) disease outcome. Although myocarditis occurs rarely in children, requiring cardiac transplantation. Chronic myocarditis, as the name • Pallor pediatricians should maintain a heightened index of suspicion suggests, is persistent, may be latent or progressive, with possible • Hypotension (late) because of its potential seriousness and high risk of mortality. recurrences requiring ongoing medical therapy. The highly variable Infarction pattern nature of presentation is determined by the extent of myocardial • Abnormal heart sounds/ murmurs (mitral Decreased ventricular voltage Etiology injury and the patient’s own inflammatory immune response. regurgitation) In the developed world, the most frequently identified causes Atrial enlargement (chronic) of pediatric myocarditis are viral infections of the myocardium. Diagnosis • Neck vein distention/ peripheral edema Laboratory: Enteroviruses, most frequently coxsackievirus B, were historically The variable nature of the pediatric myocarditis patient’s presenting (older children) Increased cardiac troponins implicated as a common cause of this disease in children, signs and symptoms makes accurate diagnosis of many of these • Cyanosis/ hypoxia although many other viral entities have since been shown to cases challenging. Often, lack of evidence of cardiac involvement Cardiac enzymes rarely elevated be causative agents including influenza virus, adenovirus and further complicates recognition of the underlying disease. As a result, • Respiratory distress (tachypnea, dyspnea, Viral titers peripheral blood rarely (+) parvovirus B19. Lyme disease, fungi, protozoa, rickettsiae and an accurate diagnosis of myocarditis can be missed at the initial wheezing, nasal flaring) other parasites are rare causes of myocardial inflammation as physician encounter. Although many cases resolve spontaneously Viral cultures peripheral blood/ biopsy tissue rarely (+) without further sequelae, others develop persistent, recurrent or latent • Intercostal retractions Viral genome on biopsy tissue by polymerase chain reaction dilated cardiomyopathy with increased morbidity requiring cardiac • Fever detectable transplantation to avoid death. The consequences of a missed • Hepatomegaly Variable Clinical Presentation in Pediatric diagnosis can be dire highlighting the need for clinicians to maintain a Echocardiogram: Myocarditis high degree of suspicion for myocarditis while assessing these patients. Table 2 Dilated left ventricle observed on ECG as ST segment depression with or without Physical Exam: Findings on initial exam commonly associated Diminished ventricular function • Chest pain/palpitations T wave inversions. A variety of tachy and brady arrhythmias Wall motion abnormalities with myocarditis are presented in Table 1. Tachycardia partially including and third degree complete • Dyspnea on exertion/exercise intolerance compensates for inadequate tissue oxygenation secondary atrioventricular block may be observed in pediatric myocarditis. Pericardial effusions to diminished cardiac output. Decreased peripheral perfusion • Fatigue/lethargy Intracardiac thrombi (rare in infants) manifests as cool extremities, weak pulses, pallor, increased time Laboratory Studies: Biomarkers of cardiac injury including • Anorexia/poor feeding/failure to thrive to capillary refill, and/or decreased urinary output. Vasoconstriction cardiac troponins have a variable diagnostic yield depending on Endomyocardial Biopsy: • Abnormal distention initially maintains an age-normal blood pressure, but over time the acuity and severity of the presentation. Viral serologies and Evidence of inflammation: hypotension results as a late finding of cardiac failure. A variety • Fever/malaise peripheral blood and tissue cultures are usually negative and Myocyte destruction of abnormal heart sounds may be detected including diminished not helpful in achieving an early diagnosis. The endomyocardial • Mental status changes/near syncopal heart sounds, murmurs, gallops and rhythm disturbances. biopsy remains the gold standard for diagnosis of viral myocarditis Fibrosis Wheezing, coughing, grunting, nasal flaring, intercostal events despite the low sensitivity and high rate of false negative test Lymphocytic infiltrates retraction, rales, dyspnea, tachypnea, cyanosis and hypoxia are results. Due to the focal nature of myocardial inflammation, biopsy evidence of respiratory distress. Hepatomegaly and peripheral material may fail to include affected areas causing a missed Table 3 Table 1 edema suggest cardiac failure in severe cases. Non-specific diagnosis due to sampling error. Polymerase chain reaction are immune-mediated diseases, such as collagen vascular findings include fever, malaise, anorexia, fatigue and lethargy. (PCR) of myocardial tissue for viral genome can increase the Conclusions diseases, venoms, toxins and some chemotherapeutic agents. sensitivity of the endomyocardial biopsy. The invasive nature of Children with myocarditis may present to the pediatrician Further Diagnostic Evaluation obtaining a myocardial tissue sample poses a significant risk to displaying a wide range of signs and symptoms as manifestations Epidemiology Once evidence gathered on presentation and physical exam suggests the patient and should only be utilized when the clinical suspicion Myocarditis may occur more frequently during seasonal the need for further investigation of cardiac involvement, the clinician is high for a cardiac disorder that is amenable to treatment. influenza epidemics and particularly during summer and fall should consider ordering laboratory and imaging studies to confirm the of a variety of clinical states, from occult cardiac disease to full- with the increased prevalence of coxsackievirus B in the general presence of myocarditis and/or to rule-out other cardiac conditions. Echocardiogram: The echocardiogram is a useful tool for evaluating blown hemodynamic collapse. As a result, a correct diagnosis is population. Neonatal myocarditis usually presents acutely, is Further diagnostic evaluation also provides an assessment of the ventricular function and excluding more common causes of often missed at the first physician visit. The lack of early diagnosis severe and often fatal with a mortality rate as high as 75%. Infants level of cardiac function, alerting the pediatrician of the necessity heart failure. Echocardiograms are usually abnormal in pediatric of myocarditis may be dire for many of these patients who will have an increased risk of myocarditis when exposed to the virus for proper clinical intervention. Common findings on diagnostic myocarditis. Findings are variable and may include wall motion progress to dilated cardiomyopathy and heart failure. A delay during the first year of life, with the incidence of myocarditis evaluation in pediatric myocarditis are summarized in Table 2. abnormalities, ventricular chamber dilatation, atrial enlargement, of specialist intervention will defer a definitive diagnosis and increasing again during late childhood and adolescence. In one atrio-ventricular valve regurgitation and left ventricular or initiation of aggressive treatment that may be life saving and may study, a review of over 235,000 emergency room admissions Chest Radiography: Cardiomegaly and pulmonary venous congestion biventricular dysfunction. Fulminant myocarditis is often associated seriously impact the patient’s long-term prognosis. Myocarditis to a pediatric hospital identified nearly 30% of confirmed cases are important findings on a chest radiograph in the myocarditis with an echocardiographic picture of reduced left ventricular must be considered in the differential diagnosis of any older child of myocarditis were in children younger than three years of patient and can help to distinguish a diagnosis of myocarditis systolic function without left ventricular chamber dilatation. with the complaint of chest pain. Although chest pain is a common age and 25% were in adolescents sixteen to eighteen years. In from more common respiratory ailments. The above findings, Cardiac MRI: Contrast-enhanced cardiac MRI may assist complaint and rarely associated with cardiac disease in this population this older population, myocarditis is a significant contributor to suggestive of heart failure, increase with disease duration in the diagnosis by identifying local sites of suspected it deserves careful evaluation. Young children with respiratory distress, sudden cardiac death as verified on post-mortem examination. and progression, therefore, they may not be evident in cases inflammation in the myocardium. This test is generally abnormal breath sounds, cardiac murmurs, abnormal rhythm or heart Gender differences have been observed in the incidence presenting as fulminant myocarditis. In patients with marked performed in patients with newly recognized ventricular sounds, with or without fever, should have an electrocardiogram of myocarditis caused by coxsackievirus B in adolescents cardiovascular compromise or collapse of unknown cause without dysfunction without a clear etiology. The prognostic value and chest radiograph with a low threshold for performing an where two-thirds to three-quarters of cases are male. evidence of cardiomegaly or pulmonary venous congestion of MRI tissue characterization is an area of active research echocardiograph and/or consultation with a pediatric cardiologist. on chest radiograph, a diagnosis of myocarditis cannot be

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