Inflammatory heart disease: pathogenesis, clinical manifestations, and treatment of myocarditis

Myocarditis is an uncommon cause of cardiac disease that can result in arrhythmia, congestive heart failure, and death. Myocardial injury in myocarditis is due in part to activated cellular and humoral immune components directed toward normal cardiac tissue. Although numerous therapies for myocarditis, including corticosteroids and immunosuppressive agents, have been applied in animal experiments and in human studies, none have demonstrated survival benefit over untreated controls. In many patients, myocarditis may spontaneously resolve. Information about myocarditis pathogenesis, manifestations, and treatment has been useful in disease management. Further research into the inflammatory nature of myocarditis may provide the basis for more favorable outcomes of intervention in this disease.