MyocarditisSymptoms, Doctors, Treatments, Advances & More
Learn About Myocarditis
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle.
The condition is called pediatric myocarditis when it occurs in children.
Inflammation - heart muscle
Common conditions include: Giant Cell Myocarditis, Infectious Myocarditis, Pediatric Myocarditis
Myocarditis is an uncommon disorder. Most of the time, it is caused by an infection that reaches the heart.
When you have an infection, your immune system produces special cells to fight off disease. If the infection affects your heart, the disease-fighting cells enter the heart. However, the chemicals made by these cells can also damage the heart muscle. As a result, the heart can become thick, swollen, and weak.
Many cases are caused by a virus that reaches the heart. These can include the SARS-CoV-2 virus (the virus that causes COVID-19), influenza (flu) virus, coxsackievirus, parvovirus, cytomegalovirus, adenovirus, and others.
It may also be caused by bacterial infections such as Lyme disease, streptococcus, mycoplasma, and chlamydia.
Other causes of myocarditis include:
- Reactions to certain medicines, such as certain chemotherapy medicines
- Exposure to chemicals in the environment, such as heavy metals
- Infections due to fungus or parasites
- Radiation
- Autoimmune disease that cause inflammation throughout the body
- Myocarditis following COVID-19 vaccination has been reported, but is very rare
Sometimes the exact cause may not be discovered.
There may be no symptoms. Symptoms may be similar to the flu. If symptoms occur, they may include:
- Chest pain that may resemble a heart attack
- Fatigue or listlessness
- Fever and other signs of infection including headache, muscle aches, sore throat, diarrhea, or rashes
- Joint pain or swelling
- Leg swelling
- Pale, cool hands and feet (a sign of poor circulation)
- Rapid breathing
- Rapid heart rate
- Shortness of breath
Other symptoms that may occur with this disease include:
- Fainting, often related to irregular heart rhythms
- Low urine output
Treatment is aimed at the cause of the problem, and may involve:
- Antibiotics to fight bacterial infection
- Medicines called steroids to reduce swelling and inflammation
- Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG), a medicine made of substances (called antibodies) that the body produces to fight infection, which may control the inflammatory process
- Diuretics to remove excess water from the body
- Low-salt diet
- Reduced activity
If the heart muscle is weak, your provider will prescribe medicines to treat heart failure. Abnormal heart rhythms may require the use of other medicines. You may also need a device such as a pacemaker, or implantable cardioverter-defibrillator to correct a dangerous abnormal heartbeat. If a blood clot is in the heart chamber, you will also receive blood thinning medicine.
Rarely, a heart transplant may be needed if the heart muscle has become too weak to function.
FL - Heart Carditis
Leslie Cooper is a Cardiologist practicing medicine in Jacksonville, Florida. Dr. Cooper is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Myocarditis. He is also highly rated in 15 other conditions, according to our data. His clinical expertise encompasses Cardiomyopathy, Myocarditis, Giant Cell Myocarditis, Heart Transplant, and Pacemaker Implantation.
Johns Hopkins Outpatient Center
Dr. Nisha A. Gilotra is a cardiologist in the Johns Hopkins Medicine Division of Cardiology with expertise in advanced heart failure, including the care of heart transplant and ventricular assist device patients. Dr. Gilotra specializes in inflammatory cardiomyopathies, including sarcoidosis, myocarditis and inherited causes of cardiomyopathy. Dr. Gilotra received her medical degree from Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia, PA. She completed her medical residency, general cardiology fellowship and advanced heart failure fellowship at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Between fellowships, she served as an Assistant Chief of Service for the Department of Medicine. Dr. Gilotra is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Myocarditis. She is also highly rated in 15 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Sarcoidosis, Myocarditis, Cardiomyopathy, Heart Transplant, and Endoscopy.
Brigham And Women's Hospital, Heart And Vascular Center
Dr. Anju Nohria is the Director of the Cardio-Oncology Program at Dana-Farber Brigham Cancer Center and a cardiovascular medicine specialist at Brigham and Women’s Hospital (BWH). In addition, she is an Associate Professor of Medicine at Harvard Medical School (HMS).Dr. Nohria received her medical degree from HMS. She completed an internal medicine residency and was a chief resident at Yale-New Haven Hospital. She then completed both a cardiovascular medicine fellowship and a heart failure and transplantation fellowship at BWH. She is board certified in cardiovascular disease and heart failure and transplantation.Dr. Nohria’s clinical interests include cardio-oncology and heart failure and transplantation. The author of over 100 peer-reviewed publications, she currently researches how to evaluate, prevent and treat cardiovascular complications that can arise as a consequence of cancer therapy. Dr. Nohria is rated as an Elite provider by MediFind in the treatment of Myocarditis. She is also highly rated in 15 other conditions, according to our data. Her clinical expertise encompasses Myocarditis, Cardiomyopathy Due to Anthracyclines, Cardiomyopathy, Cardiac Ablation, and Heart Transplant. Dr. Nohria is board certified in Cardiovascular Disease and Advanced Heart Failure And Transplant Cardiology.
The outcome can vary, depending on the cause of the problem and a person's overall health. Some people may recover completely. Others may have lasting heart failure.
Complications may include:
- Cardiomyopathy
- Heart failure
- Heart rhythm problems
- Pericarditis
Contact your provider if you have symptoms of myocarditis, especially after a recent infection.
Seek medical help right away if:
- Your symptoms are severe.
- You have been diagnosed with myocarditis, and you have increased chest pain, swelling, or breathing problems.
Treat conditions that cause myocarditis promptly to reduce the risk.
Summary: Venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (VA-ECMO) is increasingly being used worldwide to treat severe cardiogenic shock. The survival rate of these patients has increased in the last decade, reaching 45-50% for patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), the most frequent indication of the technique, 50-60% for patients with end-stage dilated cardiomyopathy bridged to heart transpla...
Summary: The Enterovirus genus, belonging to the Picornaviridae family, consists of positively polarized single-stranded RNA viruses classified into the species Enterovirus (EV, comprising Coxsackievirus, Echovirus and Poliovirus) A-J and Rhinovirus (RV) A-C, of which more than 200 different genotypes have been described. Enteroviruses have a global spread and are a common cause of febrile, gastroenteric a...
Published Date: January 27, 2026
Published By: Thomas S. Metkus MD, PhD, Associate Professor of Medicine and Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine safety. www.cdc.gov/vaccine-safety/vaccines/covid-19.html. Updated January 31, 2025. Accessed February 5, 2026.
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Knowlton KU, Anderson JL, Savoia MC, Oxman MN. Myocarditis and pericarditis. In: Blaser MJ, Cohen JI, Holland SM, et al, eds. Mandell, Douglas, and Bennett's Principles and Practice of Infectious Diseases. 10th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2026:chap 86.
Simon’s Heart is a nonprofit organization dedicated to raising awareness about, and preventing deaths from, conditions that cause sudden cardiac arrest in children.