Blog /

Can a viral infection affect your heart?

Can a viral infection affect your heart?

Several viruses can infect the heart, including viruses that cause other types of infection, like respiratory infections and STDs like herpes, chlamydia, and HIV. There are two primary heart infections caused by viruses: pericarditis and myocarditis.

What viral infections cause heart problems?

Some things that can cause myocarditis include:

  • Coxsackie B viruses.
  • Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)
  • Cytomegalovirus (CMV)
  • Hepatitis C.
  • Herpes.
  • HIV.
  • Parvovirus.
  • Chlamydia (a common sexually transmitted disease)

How do I know if my myocarditis is viral?

Tests to diagnose myocarditis might include:

  1. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG). This quick and painless test shows your heart’s electrical patterns and can detect irregular heartbeats.
  2. Chest X-ray.
  3. Heart MRI (Cardiac MRI ).
  4. Echocardiogram.
  5. Blood tests.
  6. Cardiac catheterization and heart muscle biopsy.

Can a viral infection cause heart palpitations?

What is viral myocarditis? Myocarditis is an inflammation of the heart muscle due to a viral infection. It weakens the heart’s ability to pump enough blood throughout the body and results in heartbeat irregularities (arrhythmias) and possible heart failure.

What does an infection of the heart feel like?

General symptoms of a heart infection include chest pain, fever, and shortness of breath. These symptoms can also be present with a life-threatening condition, such as heart attack. Seek immediate medical care if you, or someone you are with, have these symptoms.

What are the symptoms of inflammation of the heart?

Signs and symptoms – Heart Inflammation

  • Fever and chills.
  • New or worsening heart murmur.
  • Blood in urine.
  • Spleen that is larger than normal.
  • Abdominal pain.
  • Chest pain.
  • Cough, with or without the presence of blood.
  • Loss of appetite and weight loss.

How serious is viral myocarditis?

Usually, myocarditis goes away without permanent complications. However, severe myocarditis can permanently damage your heart muscle, possibly causing: Heart failure. Untreated, myocarditis can damage your heart’s muscle so that it can’t pump blood effectively.

Can you feel heart inflammation?

Myocarditis, pericarditis and endocarditis refer to inflammation around or in the heart. Inflammation of the heart often causes chest pain, and you may feel like you are having a heart attack.

How long does it take for heart inflammation to go away?

Heart muscle inflammation is often preceded by a viral infection and is therefore often inconspicuous. Myocarditis typically lasts for approximately six weeks.

How do you know you have a heart infection?

Advertisement

  1. Blood culture test. A blood culture test is used to identify any germs in your bloodstream.
  2. Complete blood count.
  3. Echocardiogram.
  4. Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG).
  5. Chest X-ray.
  6. Computerized tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).

What are the symptoms of inflammation around the heart?

Chest pain is the most common pericarditis symptom that causes a patient to seek medical care. Fever, weakness, and malaise may be present, as with any other inflammatory process in the body. If the pericarditis persists, fluid can accumulate around the heart, termed a pericardial effusion.

How to cure myocarditis naturally?

Natural Remedy for Myocarditis: Lily of The Valley (Convallaria majalis)Lily of the valley flowers and extract. Starting in the early 1850s, the tincture made from Lily of the valley flowers was used in Russia as a treatment for cardiovascular disease.

How long does it take to recover from viral myocarditis?

In general, uncomplicated myocarditis often heals within several weeks. In other cases, the inflammation and damage of the heart may need longer to heal so this may take a few months or even a year to recover completely.

What is the treatment for inflammation of the heart?

Inflammation of heart is caused by known infectious agents, viruses, bacteria, fungi or parasites, and by toxic materials from the environment, water, food, air, toxic gases, smoke, and pollution, or by an unknown origin. Myocarditis is induced by infection of heart muscle by virus like sarcoidosis and immune diseases.