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Acute and Chronic Myocarditis

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Sport-related sudden cardiac death

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Abstract

Acute myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the myocardium, the most common cause being a viral infection. Acute myocarditis is characterized by oedema and infiltration of pan T lymphocytes and macrophages; variable amounts of myocardial necrosis may occur.

Acute myocarditis is one of the causes of sudden death in athletes.

Sudden death during myocarditis can occur both at rest and during effort and is determined by rapid and often polymorphic ventricular tachycardia, which may degenerate into ventricular fibrillation.

Some experimental studies in animals suggest that physical activity during acute myocarditis increases the replication and aggressiveness of the virus. As a consequence, it is important to diagnose this disease on the basis of a clinical suspicion (fever, etc.), electrocardiographic findings (ST elevation, T wave inversion, etc.), and increase of serum enzymes (CK, CKMB, troponins).

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Hospital Pederzoli, Verona, Italy

    Pietro Delise

  2. Division of Cardiology, Hospital Santa Maria dei Battuti, Treviso, Italy

    Monica Centa

  3. Division of Radiology, Hospital Santa Maria dei Battuti, Treviso, Italy

    Gianluca Piccoli

  4. ATS Sardegna, Sport Medicine, Cagliari, Italy

    Marco Scorcu

Authors
  1. Pietro Delise
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  2. Monica Centa
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  3. Gianluca Piccoli
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  4. Marco Scorcu
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Pietro Delise .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ospedale P. Pederzoli, Peschiera del Garda, Italy

    Pietro Delise

  2. Catholic University of the Sacred Heart, Roma, Italy

    Paolo Zeppilli

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Delise, P., Centa, M., Piccoli, G., Scorcu, M. (2022). Acute and Chronic Myocarditis. In: Delise, P., Zeppilli, P. (eds) Sport-related sudden cardiac death. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80447-3_6

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-030-80447-3_6

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-030-80446-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-030-80447-3

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