Acquired Heart Disease in Children

Acquired heart disease in children can have both acute and long-term consequences. Common acquired heart diseases include endocarditis, myocarditis, pericarditis, pericardial effusion, Kawasaki disease, myocardial infarction, multisystem inflammatory syndrome in children, and rheumatic heart disease. Typically, these conditions arise from infections, and patients present with fever, chest pain, and shortness of breath and may have signs of heart failure on examination. Diagnosis is usually made clinically in the emergency department using a combination of history and examination findings and laboratory testing, which includes markers of cardiac involvement, electrocardiography, and echocardiography. These patients usually require inpatient management.