Young man suddenly had acute myocarditis after a cold

A 34-year-old patient in Ho Chi Minh City, after a week of fever and mild cough, suddenly felt dizzy and had a strong heartbeat.

The patient was admitted to the emergency room at Saigon General Hospital. About a week ago, he had an upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, mild fever, and little cough. He did not go to the doctor. Basic tests showed high white blood cell count, so the doctor admitted him to the hospital with an initial diagnosis of pharyngitis and continued monitoring.

Doctor Nguyen Khac Vui, Deputy Director of Saigon General Hospital, said that with three factors: the patient had a history of respiratory infection, a strong heartbeat, and abnormal heart enzymes, the doctor suspected that this was a viral myocarditis. After performing more specialized tests, the doctor determined that the results were as predicted.

If you have unusual symptoms such as fever, chest pain or difficulty breathing, you should see a doctor. Illustration photo.

During the first 24 hours, the patient's heart rate rapidly decreased continuously. The initial heart rate was 86 beats per minute, and at times it dropped to a low of 49 beats per minute. The doctor had to actively monitor vital signs, prevent infection, and provide supportive treatment. After about a week, the cardiac enzyme index returned to normal, but the heart rate was still slow, so the patient continued to receive antiviral therapy.

According to Dr. Vui, acute viral myocarditis is often easily missed in diagnosis if not paid attention to. This is a dangerous disease,progress in a very short time,has a high risk of causing death and sudden death. Fortunately, this case was detected in time, the patient did not have cardiogenic shock. The disease is quite rare, this is the first time Saigon General Hospital has received a patient.

Normally, when the virus enters the body, it usually causes sore throat and fever, and after about 5-7 days it will invade the brain or other organs. When attacking the heart, the virus will damage heart muscle cells, reduce heart muscle contractions, and cause arrhythmia leading to circulatory collapse. In some cases, even if detected early, the patient can still die within 24-48 hours.

Doctors recommend that patients should not be subjective with common colds, and should monitor and treat infections and secondary infections. Prevention is by maintaining hygiene, limiting contact with people with viral diseases... When there are unusual signs such as fever, chest pain or difficulty breathing, you should see a doctor for timely diagnosis, and should not take medication on your own.

According to VNE