News broke earlier this week about Randy Travis’ hospitalization for viral cardiomyopathy. While the symptoms of a classic heart attack are well known, viral cardiomyopathy may seem like a misnomer. How can a heart condition be viral? What are the symptoms? When should I contact my doctor?
Viral cardiomyopathy is a fairly common condition caused by a viral respiratory illness. Symptoms appear within days to weeks after the virus is contracted. When the body is unable to fight off the virus, it attacks the heart muscle. This eventually leads to congestive heart failure with fluid buildup in the lungs.
“Pretend you have an 8 cylinder engine and you reduce it to 4 or 6 cylinders, sometimes less,” said Northern Nevada Medical Center cardiologist Dr. Kosta Arger. “Suddenly the engine is not able the weight. That’s what viral cardiomyopathy does to the body. “
Unlike a heart attack, viral cardiomyopathy symptoms usually don’t include pain.
• Shortness of breath with exertion or even at rest
• Swelling of the legs, ankles and feet or bloating of the abdomen
• Irregular heartbeats
• Dizziness or light heartedness
These symptoms worsen the longer a person goes without treatment.
“In certain people, this worsening happens quickly, while in others, cardiomyopathy may not worsen for a long time,” said Carson Tahoe Health cardiologist Dr. Nathan Ho. “Nonetheless this needs to be addressed by your physician.”
Doctors determine whether one has viral cardiomyopathy based on blood pressure, an EKG, and an x-ray to see if the heart is enlarged.
“Prognosis is dependent on the symptoms with some interesting study data suggesting that the sicker patients are at the onset the better they do long term,” said Saint Mary’s Regional Medical Center's cardiologist Dr. Devang Desai.
Just as the prognosis varies depending on the individual, the treatments vary from medication to defibrillators to heart transplants.
“Some patients improve with medication,” Dr. Arger said. “If after 6 – 8 months, the medication does not help, we begin talking about pace makers (heart defibrillators). Heart transplants are the last option if the patient is a good candidate.”
If you experience any of the symptoms of cardiomyopathy, talk to your general practitioner or cardiologist right away.