Potentially life-threatening emergency
Myocarditis
Alerts and Notices
Synopsis
Presentations can be acute, subacute, or chronic, presenting with focal or diffuse involvement of the myocardium.
Presenting symptoms can be highly variable. They can include chest pain, shortness of breath, presyncope, syncope, or sudden cardiac death. Subacute myocarditis can present with subtle symptoms including fatigue, weight loss, or dyspnea on exertion. These symptoms can be acute or subacute.
Some patients will experience complete resolution of myocardial inflammation and subsequent injury, while others will have residual cardiac dysfunction with manifestations of congestive heart failure.
Diagnosis and treatment of the underlying cause is key to the management of myocarditis; treatment otherwise is generally supportive.
Codes
ICD10CM:I51.4 – Myocarditis, unspecified
SNOMEDCT:
50920009 – Myocarditis
Look For
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Diagnostic Pearls
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Differential Diagnosis & Pitfalls
- Pericarditis
- Myopericarditis
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Coronary artery disease
- Stress-induced cardiomyopathy (Takotsubo cardiomyopathy)
- Pulmonary embolism
- Aortic dissection
- Coronary artery vasospasm
- Pulmonary edema
- Pneumonia
- Dilated cardiomyopathy
- Peripartum cardiomyopathy
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
- Pericardial effusion
- Anemia (see, eg, iron deficiency anemia)
- Chronic fatigue syndrome
- Hypothyroidism
Best Tests
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Management Pearls
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Therapy
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Drug Reaction Data
Below is a list of drugs with literature evidence indicating an adverse association with this diagnosis. The list is continually updated through ongoing research and new medication approvals. Click on Citations to sort by number of citations or click on Medication to sort the medications alphabetically.Subscription Required
References
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Last Reviewed:02/03/2019
Last Updated:11/01/2022
Last Updated:11/01/2022
Potentially life-threatening emergency
Myocarditis