In recent times, the temperature in many areas of the country, including Shen Zhen, continues to be low, and people with colds are becoming more and more common. However, many young people feel that they are young and strong and have good health, so they can carry a small illness and pass it, plus they are busy at work every day, so they don’t even take a cold medicine. Although in most cases the body will heal on its own, there are times when a cold can develop into a more serious illness. If you find yourself with chest tightness or rapid heartbeat after contracting a viral illness, it is best to seek medical attention to rule out acute viral myocarditis. Acute viral myocarditis can be life-threatening if left untreated.
Why does a cold cause myocarditis?
Every year, the season of colds and flu is also the season of viral myocarditis. How can a cold be related to viral myocarditis? In fact, not every kind of cold can cause myocarditis, in general, the cold virus mostly infects the respiratory tract, intestinal tract, but if the cold is not effectively treated, not well rested, resulting in a decline in body resistance, the virus will easily break through the heart’s protective barrier, resulting in viral myocarditis.
It has been found that more than half of the patients with viral myocarditis have a history of pre-cold. The onset of viral myocarditis is often preceded by “cold” symptoms such as chills and fever, body aches, sore throat, cough or diarrhea. After 1-3 weeks, a series of cardiac discomfort, such as left-sided chest pain, panic, shortness of breath and dizziness, appear. Because patients often think of themselves as having a common cold, they generally do not pay attention to it until symptoms such as chest tightness and panic are severe, often delaying treatment.
Viral myocarditis is more prevalent in children and adolescents.
Viral myocarditis is most common in adolescents and infants.
Most patients with myocarditis are busy students who study and young employees who work under stress. Since they are in a state of chronic mental anxiety and do not have much time to rest, once they catch a cold, they tend to stay untreated for a long time and thus have a higher chance of developing viral myocarditis.
Infants and young children lack the ability to express themselves, so it is not easy to detect other abnormalities such as arrhythmias when they have a cold, so it is easier to misdiagnose and ignore the development of the disease, which requires parents to pay extra attention to their children when they are sick and to take them to the hospital early if necessary.
Therefore, young parents are especially reminded that about 10% of children under the age of 5 suffering from whistling tract infections are susceptible to acute viral myocarditis, so parents should pay close attention and observe their children closely when they are infected with the virus, and not be paralyzed.
What is viral myocarditis and what are its symptoms and dangers?
Usually when a person has a cold, the virus is recognized by the immune system. When a person with strong immune system is attacked by the virus, the body will activate the protection mechanism to resist the virus invasion. However, in people with weak constitution, once the virus enters the body, the immune system cannot start the emergency plan quickly and the virus starts to replicate in large quantities and enters the whistle tract, which in turn harms the heart through blood circulation.
Viral myocarditis is a fast-changing, short-circuiting and rapid-onset disease that can cause death within hours if not rescued in time, so early detection and early treatment are related to the patient’s life and health. A small number of patients may suffer from premature beats, palpitations and other sequelae due to untimely treatment, and serious cases may lead to dilated cardiomyopathy with poor prognosis.
A prolonged cold that does not heal should alert the virus to attack the myocardium. Repeated attacks of viral myocarditis can turn into chronic myocarditis and cardiomyopathy, which can be dangerous for life. Although the cold is not a major disease, but we need to treat it reasonably and scientifically. The best way is to prevent colds early, enhance resistance and maintain good habits.