Very often in patients with the diagnosis of myocarditis of the heart, the question arises - what kind of disease, and how to treat it. This is due to the fact that the disease is very rare. The incidence of this ailment is approximately 4% of all pathologies of the cardiovascular system. But myocarditis of the heart can cause serious complications, so it is necessary for everyone to know about the symptoms and methods of its treatment.
Causes of myocarditis
Myocarditis is an acute inflammation of the muscular membrane of the heart of an infectious-allergic, rheumatic or infectious nature. The course of the disease is acute and chronic. This disease is not "tied" to a certain age. It appears in the elderly, and in adolescents. The consequence of the inflammatory process is the proliferation of connective tissue and the rapid development of cardiosclerosis. Because of this, the pumping function of the heart muscle is significantly reduced. As a result, the heart rhythm is disrupted, there is a serious circulatory failure and sometimes this leads to even a fatal outcome.
The causes of myocarditis of the heart are infectious diseases:
- bacterial (corneal bacteria diphtheria, salmonella, staphylococcus);
- viral (influenza viruses, Coxsackie, adenovirus, herpes or hepatitis);
- parasitic (echinococcus or trichinella);
- fungal (Candida or Aspergillus).
The severe form of this ailment often occurs with diphtheria, sepsis and scarlet fever. In rare cases, the disease develops in allergic and systemic diseases:
- rheumatism;
- lupus erythematosus;
- vasculitis;
- rheumatoid arthritis.
Symptoms of myocarditis
At the initial stage of development, myocarditis manifests, like other heart diseases, a violation of the heart rhythm. Some patients also complain of shortness of breath and weakness (especially clearly they are visible during physical exertion). Myocarditis, which occurs without dysfunction of the left ventricle of the heart, can develop without any clear symptoms at all.
If the patient does not go to the cardiologist and begins treatment, the disease will progress and the patient will have:
- aching or paroxysmal pain in the heart;
- increased sweating ;
- joint pain;
- increased venous pressure;
- formation of peripheral edema (only with right ventricular lesion).
The size of the heart with intermittent myocarditis can be increased. The skin of patients is pale, and sometimes they have a cyanotic shade. Pulse with this disease is rapid and arrhythmic. With a pronounced heart failure with myocarditis, there is a strong swelling of the cervical veins.
Treatment of myocarditis
The acute stage of myocarditis of the heart has serious consequences, therefore it requires hospitalization, almost complete restriction of physical activity and strict bed rest for 4 to 8 weeks. Drug treatment should always begin with nonspecific anti-inflammatory therapy. Used can be drugs such as:
- Indomethacin;
- Voltaren;
- Prednisolone.
For the treatment of myocarditis, a viral variety uses drugs that are selected depending on the type of pathogen. For example, with bacterial myocarditis, antibiotics Vancomycin or Doxycycline are prescribed. But with rheumatic non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs Diclofenac and Ibuprofen.
The main thing about which one should not forget that myocarditis of the heart is very dangerous. If the therapeutic measures do not bring results, and you do not feel better, you should tell the doctor about it. Perhaps the only method that will help you is heart transplantation.