Inflamed Heart, (Myocarditis) A Simple Guide To The Condition, Diagnosis, Treatment And Related Conditions

By Kenneth Kee

This book describes Inflamed Heart (Myocarditis), Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases
Love is an inflamed heart but not in this book!

What is Inflamed Heart (Myocarditis)?

Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle.
Myocarditis is acute or chronic inflammation of the myocardium - and may manifest in a similar way to myocardial infarction.
Causes
Most of the time, it is produced by an infection that reaches the heart.
When the patient has an infection, the immune system produces special cells to fight off disease.
When the infection involves the heart, the disease-fighting cells go into the heart.
The chemicals made by these cells can also injure the heart muscle.
As a consequence, the heart can become thick, swollen, and weak.
Many cases are induced by a virus that reaches the heart.
Infection
Viral infection is the most frequent cause of acute myocarditis
Coxsackievirus is the most frequent viral cause in Europe and the USA
Most viruses are potential agents, such as influenza (flu) virus, adenovirus, parvovirus B19, enteroviruses, cytomegalovirus, HIV, Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis A and hepatitis C.
Worldwide the most frequent bacterial cause is diphtheria.
It may also be produced by bacterial infections such as Lyme disease, streptococcus, mycoplasma, and chlamydia.
There are also spirochetal, fungal, parasitic and rickettsial causes.
The protozoal Chagas' disease is a common entity worldwide
Other causes of myocarditis are:
a. Autoimmune disorders that cause inflammation throughout the body
1.Sarcoidosis.
2.Systemic lupus erythematosus.
3.Scleroderma.
4.Inflammatory bowel disease.
5.Giant cell myocarditis.
b. Reactions to certain medicines, such as certain chemotherapy drugs
1.Clozapine,
2.Acetazolamide,
3.Amitriptyline,
4.Cyclophosphamide,
5.Fluorouracil,
c. Exposure to chemicals in the environment, such as heavy metals
1.Lead,
2.Copper,
3.Iron.
Others:
1.Insect stings and bites
2.Radiation
Symptoms:
The presentation may range from asymptomatic changes seen on ECG to fulminant heart failure, arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death:
1.Patients may be asymptomatic with ECG abnormalities.
2.Others may have severe heart failure and left ventricular dysfunction (LVD).
a.Fatigue
b.Chest pain
c.Fever
d.Signs of heart failure
Diagnosis
Myocarditis may not be easy to diagnose because the signs and symptoms often imitate those of other heart and lung diseases or a bad case of the flu.
The doctor may hear a rapid heartbeat or abnormal heart sounds
A chest x-ray can show enlargement of the heart
If the doctor identifies myocarditis based on the examination and chest x-ray, an electrocardiogram may also be done to confirm the diagnosis
ECG: changes may be ST-segment elevation/depression, T-wave inversion, atrial arrhythmias, transient atrioventricular (AV) block
Endomyocardial biopsy (the gold standard test) is sometimes done
Cardiac MRI can differentiate transient and permanent tissue damage
Treatment
Patients with signs of acute myocarditis should be moved to ITU, as ventricular support may become essential.
1.Antibiotics to fight bacterial infection
2.Medicines called steroids to reduce swelling
3.If the heart muscle is weak, the doctor will give medicines to treat heart failure.
a.Diuretics
b.Low-salt diet
c.Reduced activity
4.Abnormal heart rhythms may need the use of medicines.
5.The patient may also need a device to correct an irregular heartbeat such as:
a.Pacemaker
b.Implantable cardioverter-defibrillator
6.If a blood clot is in the heart chamber, blood thinning medicine is given
7.Heart transplant may be required if the heart muscle has become very weak
8.Treat hypotension
TABLE OF CONTENT
Introduction
Chapter 1 I

• Language: English
• Publisher: Kenneth Kee
• Release date: Apr 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781370229444

Kenneth Kee

Medical doctor since 1972.Started Kee Clinic in 1974 at 15 Holland Dr #03-102, relocated to 36 Holland Dr #01-10 in 2009.Did my M.Sc (Health Management ) in 1991 and Ph.D (Healthcare Administration) in 1993.Dr Kenneth Kee is still working as a family doctor at the age of 74However he has reduced his consultation hours to 3 hours in the morning and 2 hours inthe afternoon.He first started writing free blogs on medical disorders seen in the clinic in 2007 on http://kennethkee.blogspot.com.His purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of his patients which is also his dissertation for his Ph.D (Healthcare Administration). He then wrote an autobiography account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.comThis autobiography account “A Family Doctor’s Tale” was combined with his early “A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders” into a new Wordpress Blog “A Family Doctor’s Tale” on http://ken-med.com.From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 1000 eBooks.He apologized for typos and spelling mistakes in his earlier books.He will endeavor to improve the writing in futures.Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.The later books go into more details of medical disorders.He has published 1000 eBooks on various subjects on health, 1 autobiography of his medical journey, another on the autobiography of a Cancer survivor, 2 children stories and one how to study for his nephew and grand-daughter.The purpose of these simple guides is to educate patient on health disorders and not meant as textbooks.He does not do any night duty since 2000 ever since Dr Tan had his second stroke.His clinic is now relocated to the Buona Vista Community Centre.The 2 units of his original clinic are being demolished to make way for a new Shopping Mall.He is now doing some blogging and internet surfing (bulletin boards since the 1980's) startingwith the Apple computer and going to PC.The entire PC is upgraded by himself from XT to the present Pentium duo core.The present Intel i7 CPU is out of reach at the moment because the CPU is still expensive.He is also into DIY changing his own toilet cistern and other electric appliance.His hunger for knowledge has not abated and he is a lifelong learner.The children have all grown up and there are 2 grandchildren who are even more technically advanced than the grandfather where mobile phones are concerned.This book is taken from some of the many articles in his blog (now with 740 posts) A Family Doctor’s Tale.Dr Kee is the author of:"A Family Doctor's Tale""Life Lessons Learned From The Study And Practice Of Medicine""Case Notes From A Family Doctor"

Book preview

Inflamed Heart,

(Myocarditis)

A

Simple

Guide

To

The Condition,

Diagnosis,

Treatment

And

Related Conditions

By

Dr Kenneth Kee

M.B.,B.S. (Singapore)

Ph.D (Healthcare Administration)

Copyright Kenneth Kee 2018 Smashwords Edition

Published by Kenneth Kee at Smashwords.com

Dedication

This book is dedicated

To my wife Dorothy

And my children

Carolyn, Grace

And Kelvin

This book describes Inflamed Heart (Myocarditis), Diagnosis and Treatment and Related Diseases which is seen in some of my patients in my Family Clinic.

(What The patient Need to Treat Inflamed Heart)

This eBook is licensed for your personal enjoyment only. This eBook may not be re-sold or given away to other people. If you would like to share this book with another person, please purchase an additional copy for each reader.

If you’re reading this book and did not purchase it, or it was not purchased for your use only, then please return to Smashwords.com and purchase your own copy.

Thank you for respecting the hard work of this author.

Introduction

I have been writing medical articles for my blog http://kennethkee.blogspot.com (A Simple Guide to Medical Disorder) for the benefit of my patients since 2007.

My purpose in writing these simple guides was for the health education of my patients.

Health Education was also my dissertation for my Ph.D (Healthcare Administration).

I then wrote an autobiolographical account of his journey as a medical student to family doctor on his other blog http://afamilydoctorstale.blogspot.com.

This autobiolographical account A Family Doctor’s Tale was combined with my early A Simple Guide to Medical Disorders into a new Wordpress Blog A Family Doctor’s Tale on http://kenkee481.wordpress.com.

From which many free articles from the blog was taken and put together into 800 eBooks.

Some people have complained that the simple guides are too simple.

For their information they are made simple in order to educate the patients.

The later books go into more details of medical disorders.

The first chapter is always from my earlier blogs which unfortunately tends to have typos and spelling mistakes.

Since 2013, I have tried to improve my spelling and writing.

As I tried to bring the patient the latest information about a disorder or illness by reading the latest journals both online and offline, I find that I am learning more and improving on my own medical knowledge in diagnosis and treatment for my patients.

Just by writing all these simple guides I find that I have learned a lot from your reviews (good or bad), criticism and advice.

I am sorry for the repetitions in these simple guides as the second chapters onwards have new information as compared to my first chapter taken from my blog.

I also find repetition definitely help me and maybe some readers to remember the facts in the books more easily.

I apologize if these repetitions are irritating to some readers.

Chapter 1

Inflamed Heart (Myocarditis)

Love is an inflamed heart but not in this book!

What is Inflamed Heart (Myocarditis)?

Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart muscle.

Myocarditis is acute or chronic inflammation of the myocardium - and may manifest in a similar way to myocardial infarction.

The disorder is called pediatric myocarditis when it happens in children.

Myocardial destruction may result in dilated cardiomyopathy.

Incidence

The exact incidence of myocarditis is not known.

A study suggested that myocarditis is the cause of sudden cardiac death in 8.6% of cases and is identified in up to 9% of post-mortem examinations

What are the causes of Inflamed Heart (Myocarditis)?

Causes

Myocarditis is a rare disorder.

Most of the time, it is produced by an infection that reaches the heart.

When the patient has an infection, the immune system produces special cells to fight off disease.

When the infection involves the heart, the disease-fighting cells go into the heart.

The chemicals made by these cells can also injure the heart muscle.

As a consequence, the heart can become thick, swollen, and weak.

Many cases are induced by a virus that reaches the heart.

Infection

Viral infection is the most frequent cause of acute myocarditis

Coxsackievirus is the most frequent viral cause in Europe and the USA

Most viruses are potential agents, such as influenza (flu) virus, adenovirus, parvovirus B19, enteroviruses, cytomegalovirus, HIV, Epstein-Barr virus and hepatitis A and hepatitis C.

Worldwide the most frequent bacterial cause is diphtheria.

It may also be produced by bacterial infections such as Lyme disease, streptococcus, mycoplasma, and chlamydia.

There are also spirochetal, fungal, parasitic and rickettsial causes.

The protozoal Chagas' disease is a common entity worldwide

Other causes of myocarditis are:

a.