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Request an Appointment with codes: Cardiology (Heart Center)
Myocarditis (myo·car·di·tis) in children is inflammation of the heart muscle that causes swelling. This swelling can weaken the heart and affect how it works.
Myocarditis is usually caused by a viral infection. Most cases of myocarditis are mild and short. But some viral infections can lead to severe myocarditis that damages the heart.
At Children's Health℠, our pediatric cardiologists have a great deal of experience diagnosing and treating myocarditis. Our team has the expertise and the advanced equipment needed to identify and treat myocarditis early in children of all ages. This helps your child get the care they need so they can recover as quickly and thoroughly as possible.
214-456-2333
Fax: 214-456-2714
469-303-4300
Fax: 469-303-4310
972-331-9700
Fax: 972-331-9833
Request an Appointment with codes: Cardiology (Heart Center)
Myocarditis is rare. It is usually seen in babies who are one or two years old. It can also be seen in teenagers. It is usually caused by a viral infection that triggers inflammation, but can be caused by other types of infections.
The inflammation can affect the heart’s muscles and electrical system. In severe cases, this rare condition can make it harder for the heart to pump blood and can disrupt heart rhythms (arrhythmia).
Inflammation can affect different parts of the heart. When it only affects the muscle of the heart, it is called myocarditis.
When it also affects the lining around the heart (pericardium), it is called myopericarditis. Myopericarditis is more common in teenagers than young children.
Myocarditis may cause these signs and symptoms:
Methods for diagnosing myocarditis can include:
Myocarditis usually is caused by a viral infection, including flu viruses, cold viruses, parvoviruses (called fifth disease) and COVID-19. These viral infections cause an immune response that leads to inflammation in the heart. This may be the same reason that mild myocarditis can be a very rare side effect of some COVID-19 vaccines.
Myocarditis can also be caused by:
Occasionally, myocarditis isn’t caused by any of these issues and there is no clear reason why a child has the condition.
In the most severe cases, a child may need a heart transplant. The pediatric cardiology care team at Children’s Health can provide complete care, from early diagnosis to the most advanced treatments.
Most children diagnosed with myocarditis will completely recover. Your child may have follow-up appointments with their doctor to make sure they’re doing well, but most children have no long-term effects and will be able to return to their usual activities.
Some children who get COVID-19 develop myocarditis. This myocarditis seems to be caused by how the immune system responds to the virus.
The Children’s Health pediatric cardiology care team strongly recommends COVID-19 vaccinations, even for children with heart failure or heart transplants. This is because the vaccines are very effective at preventing COVID-19. In turn, this reduces the risk of myocarditis and other effects of the virus.
The risk of your child getting myocarditis from the vaccine is very small – and far less than their risk of getting myocarditis from COVID-19 itself.
When the vaccine does trigger myocarditis, it is much milder than the myocarditis caused by COVID-19. Early data show that all the children who have developed myocarditis after a COVID-19 vaccine had mild cases and recovered fully.