Long COVID-19 Myocarditis and Various Heart Failure Presentations: A Case Series
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Updated: Aug 16, 2025

Tachycardia-Induced Cardiomyopathy As a Chronic Heart Failure Model in Swine
Published on: February 17, 2018
Justyna Rohun1, Karolina Dorniak2, Anna Faran1
1Department of Cardiology and Electrotherapy, Medical University of Gdansk, 80-214 Gdansk, Poland.
Insights
Long COVID myocarditis can cause dangerous heart failure after COVID-19 infection. Prompt medical treatment improved cardiac function and symptoms in patients with this serious complication.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Public Health
Background:
- The COVID-19 pandemic is linked to potential long-term cardiovascular complications.
- Myocarditis following COVID-19 infection presents a significant danger, with varied clinical manifestations from asymptomatic cases to severe heart failure (HF).
Purpose of the Study:
- To describe the clinical presentation and outcomes of heart failure secondary to myocarditis in adult patients post-COVID-19 infection.
Main Methods:
- A retrospective case-series design was employed.
- Three adult patients with new-onset heart failure attributed to myocarditis after COVID-19 infection were analyzed.
Main Results:
- All patients presented with symptomatic heart failure of varying severity, including reduced left ventricular ejection fraction and ventricular arrhythmias in one case.
- Cardiac magnetic resonance confirmed prior myocarditis in all participants.
- Optimal medical management led to improved cardiac function and symptom resolution in all cases.
Conclusions:
- Long COVID myocarditis is a severe potential complication of COVID-19, manifesting heterogeneously.
- The diverse clinical symptoms and limited specific diagnostic tools pose a risk of misdiagnosis and progression of heart failure.
Abstract:
(1) Background: Emerging data indicate that the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic may result in long-term cardiovascular complications, among which long COVID-19 myocarditis seems to be one of the most dangerous. Clinical presentation of cardiac inflammation ranges from almost asymptomatic to life-threatening conditions, including heart failure (HF) in different stages. (2) Methods: This is a retrospective case-series study that includes three adults with different clinical presentations of heart failure on grounds of myocarditis after initial COVID-19 infection. (3) Results: All patients had new-onset symptomatic HF of various severity: from a moderately reduced left ventricular ejection fraction in one patient to significantly reduced fractions in the remaining two. Moreover, complex ventricular arrhythmias were present in one case. All patients had confirmed past myocarditis in cardiac magnetic resonance. With optimal medical treatment, cardiac function improved, and the symptoms subsided in all cases. (4) Conclusions: In COVID-19 patients, long COVID myocarditis may be one of the severe complications of this acute disease. The heterogeneity in clinical symptoms and a paucity of specific diagnostic procedures expose the patient to the significant risk of misdiagnosing and further HF development.
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