Myocarditis

Symptoms

The symptoms of myocarditis depend on the cause and severity. For example, people with myocarditis caused by a virus may have no symptoms, and their only sign of heart inflammation is a temporary abnormal reading on an electrocardiogram (EKG), a test that measures the heart's electrical activity. Others may experience an achy feeling in the chest or symptoms similar to cold or the flu.

More serious cases of myocarditis may cause symptoms such as:

• signs of heart failure (shortness of breath, leg swelling)
• fever
• chest pain
• cardiac arrhythmias (abnormally fast, slow or irregular heartbeats)
• fainting