Myocarditis News and Research

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In medicine (cardiology), myocarditis is inflammation of heart muscle (myocardium). It resembles a heart attack but coronary arteries are not blocked.

Direct action of SARS-CoV-2 on organs may lead to exacerbated inflammatory response in pediatric patients

Besides common symptoms such as fever, cough and respiratory distress, some children have an atypical form of COVID-19 known as multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children (MIS-C), characterized by persistent fever and inflammation of several organs, such as the heart and intestines, as well as the lungs to a lesser extent.

1 Jun 2021

Early MR imaging can greatly increase the diagnosis of broken-heart syndrome

In almost ten per cent of myocardial infarctions, no obvious cause in the coronary artery can be found. Some of the patients are diagnosed with broken-heart syndrome, while others are left without a diagnosis.

28 Apr 2021

What Covid means for the athlete’s heart

For sports fans across the country, the resumption of the regular sports calendar has signaled another step toward post-pandemic normality. But for the athletes participating in professional, collegiate, high school or even recreational sports, significant unanswered questions remain about the aftereffects of a Covid infection.

6 Apr 2021

An increase in the risk of clinical sequelae after SARS-CoV-2 infection

A new piece of research, published on the medRxiv preprint server, focused on the role of factors such as gender, age, hospitalization, etc., in understanding the risks of clinical sequelae in the post-acute phase of COVID-19, in adults aged between 18 and 65 years.

15 Mar 2021

Inflammatory heart disease is rare among professional athletes with mild COVID-19, study finds

Inflammatory heart disease is a rare finding among professional athletes with mild or asymptomatic COVID-19 infection, a large-scale study has found.

4 Mar 2021

COVID-19 disrupts heart muscle contraction, may lead to heart failure

Since early in the pandemic, COVID-19 has been associated with heart problems, including reduced ability to pump blood and abnormal heart rhythms.

3 Mar 2021

Evidence that Long COVID-19 impacts children

The ongoing coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has caused over one hundred million reported infections, with over 2.23 million deaths worldwide. While most cases of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection are asymptomatic or mild, some patients report long-haul symptoms, often severely debilitating in nature. However, it is unclear how many children are affected similarly.

2 Feb 2021

SARS-CoV-2 triggers development of new-onset IgG autoantibodies in hospitalized COVID-19 patients

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), the causative agent for coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), is associated with several clinical features common in autoimmune diseases as myalgias, arthralgias, fatigue, and rashes. COVID-19 patients also exhibit less common autoimmunity manifestations such as myositis, thrombosis, myocarditis, encephalitis, vasculitis, and arthritis.

1 Feb 2021

Blood group associated with cardiovascular events in COVID-19 patients

An illuminating new study by scientists at Harvard Medical School, USA, describes the correlation of such conditions with the ABO blood group. The team's findings may help assess the risk of COVID-19 patients for such complications, promoting early diagnosis and underscoring potential needs for preventive and therapeutic care where possible.

21 Jan 2021

Study finds lower degree of myocarditis in athletes with a history of COVID-19

In a letter published in the December issue of the American Heart Association's medical journal Circulation a group of researchers at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) dispute the most recent findings of the incidence of myocarditis in athletes with a history of COVID-19.

8 Jan 2021

Arthritis drug may be effective in treating immunotherapy-related heart complication

A drug typically prescribed for rheumatoid arthritis may also be effective in treating a rare but potentially deadly heart complication some cancer patients experience after taking immunotherapies, according to a study published in Cancer Discovery and co-led by investigators at Vanderbilt University Medical Center.

21 Dec 2020

Study investigates link between myocarditis and COVID-19

As the COVID-19 pandemic evolves, so too does research into its effects on heart health. One particular area of interest for physicians involves whether COVID-19 leads to inflammation of the heart muscle, a condition known as myocarditis.

19 Nov 2020

Additional imaging tests can detect cause of heart attack in women with no major artery blockage

Diagnostic imaging techniques were able to find the underlying cause of heart attack in many women who had no major artery blockage, according to late- breaking research presented today at the American Heart Association's Scientific Sessions 2020.

16 Nov 2020

Promising new antivirals target arboviruses and SARS-CoV-2: Nodosome inhibitors

A new study describes two promising small molecules that inhibit a host cell factor, called nucleotide binding oligomerization domain-containing protein 2 (NOD2), that inhibits the replication and spread of many arboviruses. This could lead to the development of broad-spectrum antivirals. The study's findings have been published on the preprint server bioRxiv*.

10 Nov 2020

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 direct heart muscle cell infection, cell death, loss of contractility

In the study, published on the pre-print journal bioRxiv, the researchers revealed that SARS-CoV-2-infected EHTs manifested the typical characteristics of myocarditis or heart inflammation. These include the stimulation of immune cells, heart cell death, and decreased contractile force generation.

8 Nov 2020

COVID-19-related myocarditis may be a relatively rare occurrence, indicates study

A study conducted by Richard Vander Heide, MD, PhD, Professor and Director of Pathology Research at LSU Health New Orleans School of Medicine, and Marc Halushka, MD, PhD, Professor of Pathology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, suggests myocarditis caused by COVID-19 may be a relatively rare occurrence.

30 Oct 2020

Study finds low risk of adverse events from cardiac MRI contrast agents

Contrast agents used to improve views of the heart on MRI carry a very low risk of allergic reactions, vomiting and other acute adverse events, according to a large study from Europe published in Radiology: Cardiothoracic Imaging.

29 Oct 2020

New report offers guidance on cardiac screening of athletes infected with COVID-19

Reports have indicated that COVID-19 may cause heart damage in hospitalized patients with severe cases of the disease, but it's unclear whether cardiac injury also occurs in infected patients who are asymptomatic or experience only mild symptoms.

29 Oct 2020

Study identifies cardiac structural damage experienced by COVID-19 patients

Cardiac ultrasounds (also known as echocardiograms) are providing a view of the heart and the impact of the COVID-19 virus on patients.

27 Oct 2020

Study indicates the relationship between SARS-CoV-2 viral infection and diabetes

It has recently been described that infection by some enteroviruses - a genus of viruses that commonly cause diseases of varying severity - could potentially trigger diabetes, although its direct effect 'in vivo' as well as its mechanism of action at the molecular level were unknown.

21 Oct 2020