Symptoms

Patients with viral cardiomyopathy may present viral symptoms, while others present heart failure as an initial symptom.

Viral symptoms may precede any cardiac symptoms, which include:
- Fevers
- Flu-like symptoms (myalgias)
- Gastrointestinal disorders
- Sore throat or other respiratory infections
Chest pain (angina)
Shortness of breath
Syncope (passing out)

Some patients have shortness of breath and leg swelling as their initial symptoms rather than those listed above.

The following help to identify viral cardiomyopathy:

Electrocardiogram
- This is usually abnormal; however, it cannot diagnose viral myocarditis/cardiomyopathy alone.
Lab work
- Cardiac biomarkers
- Inflammatory markers
- Respiratory swab for viral infections
- Blood work for viruses (these are rarely informative)
Echocardiography
Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
Endomyocardial Biopsy
- Invasive procedure to take a biopsy of the heart muscle
- This is reserved for special circumstances due to risks associated with the procedure

Viral Cardiomyopathy