Beware of colds and diarrhea that may lead to viral myocarditis. Don’t forget to protect your heart in early spring

Colds and diarrhea can cause viral myocarditis, which is more common among teenagers because they are active, pay little attention to climate change, and do not change clothes in time. They usually like to eat snacks and do not pay attention to food hygiene, so they often catch colds or diarrhea, and even suffer from viral myocarditis.

Early symptoms of viral myocarditis

♥ Before the onset of viral myocarditis, most patients have a history of upper respiratory tract infection or intestinal infection, such as fever, sore throat, cough, runny nose, nasal congestion, and may be accompanied by body aches, fatigue, loss of appetite and other symptoms. Or symptoms of intestinal infection such as abdominal pain and diarrhea. If chest tightness, palpitations, fatigue and other symptoms occur after treatment for a cold or enteritis, it is likely that the virus invades the local myocardium and causes inflammation. Patients should be highly vigilant and ask a doctor for a detailed examination in time. Combined with electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, blood biochemistry test, etc., a clear diagnosis can often be made.

♥ Viral myocarditis usually has "premature beats" at the beginning. If you have a cold recently or have had a cold before, you should pay enough attention to it. Ask your doctor to check it in detail to clarify the nature and type of premature beats, whether they are functional or pathological, and then choose effective antiarrhythmic drugs for treatment. If necessary, you can use combination therapy to control the disease in time.

① If only premature beats occur and the heart is not enlarged, it is called subclinical myocarditis. However, this type of premature beat must be distinguished from unexplained or functional premature beats.

② Occasionally, a small number of patients have more severe symptoms, with a faster heartbeat, dull heart sounds, and a sound like a galloping horse, which is medically called "galloping horse rhythm". At the same time, the heart is enlarged, and electrocardiogram examination may show myocardial ischemia, which is called diffuse myocarditis, a very serious type of myocarditis. More serious cases may also cause shortness of breath, cyanosis of the lips, decreased blood pressure, and even an extremely slow heartbeat, accompanied by pale complexion, fainting and other symptoms.

Self-care for viral myocarditis

Viral myocarditis can be completely cured if it is treated properly. However, if it is not treated in time, it may develop into sequelae of myocarditis or chronic myocarditis, dilated cardiomyopathy, etc., or even be life-threatening. Therefore, self-care is very important during the recovery period.

1Dietary adjustment

Eat light, easy-to-digest food. Eat more protein-rich foods, such as beef, chicken, duck, fish, shrimp, eggs, soy products and milk. Eat more fresh vegetables and fruits, such as chicken greens, tomatoes, oranges, pineapples, apples, grapes, etc.

2. Take breaks

During the recovery period of severe diffuse myocarditis, patients should still rest in bed. After 3 to 4 weeks when the body temperature drops to normal and the electrocardiogram and chest X-ray examinations return to normal, they can gradually get up and move around. The amount of activity should also be limited to not feeling tired or having discomfort. If premature beats occur frequently and increase significantly after activity, they should also rest appropriately. If the heart rate is slow when premature beats occur, and the premature beats decrease or disappear after activity, they can be moved appropriately and do not need to rest in bed absolutely.

3. Life routine

Arrange your life reasonably, pay attention to personal hygiene, have a regular life, pay attention to the combination of work and rest, and avoid overwork. Pay attention to keeping warm, especially in the cold season when the temperature changes too much, you should add or remove clothes at any time. The indoor air should always be ventilated, with sufficient sunlight, and a quiet, clean and comfortable living environment, which is conducive to the recovery of the body.

4. Exercise

Whether patients with viral myocarditis can participate in exercise generally depends on the type and frequency of premature beats. If premature beats occur frequently but are not bigeminy or multifocal premature beats, they can participate in physical exercise according to their physical strength, such as health exercises, Tai Chi, Qigong (mainly relaxation exercises, both sitting and lying), etc., but should not participate in strenuous exercise, such as jogging.