New Delhi: For the first time, a 31-year-old man with confirmed monkeypox infection developed acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) about a week after the onset of monkeypox symptoms, the researchers revealed. According to a case study published in the journal JACC: Case Reports, the patient visited a health clinic five days after the onset of monkeypox symptoms, which included malaise, myalgia, fever, and multiple swollen lesions on the face. , hands and genitals. Positive monkeypox infection was confirmed with a PCR swab sample from a skin lesion. The patient returned to the emergency department three days later and reported chest tightness radiating through the left arm. Myocarditis was previously associated with smallpox infection, a more aggressive virus, and the case study authors said “by extrapolation, monkeypox virus could have tropism for myocardial tissue or cause lesions in the heart.” mediated by the immune system.
“Through this important case study, we are developing a deeper understanding of monkeypox, viral myocarditis, and how to accurately diagnose and manage this disease,” said Julia Grapsa, editor-in-chief of JACC: Case Reports. “The authors of this study have used CMR mapping, a comprehensive imaging tool, to help with the diagnosis of myocarditis. I congratulate the authors on this valuable clinical case during a critical time when monkeypox continues to spread throughout the world.” world level,” Grapsa said.
The results of the cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (CMR) study performed on the patient were compatible with myocardial inflammation and a diagnosis of acute myocarditis. “This case highlights cardiac involvement as a potential complication associated with monkeypox infection,” said Ana Isabel Pinho, from the department of cardiology at Centro Hospitalario Universitario de Sao Joao in Portugal and lead author of the study. “We believe that reporting this possible causal relationship can increase the awareness of the scientific community and health professionals about acute myocarditis as a possible complication associated with monkeypox,” Pinho added.
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The patient was discharged after one week with a complete recovery. The authors said more research is needed to identify the relationship between monkeypox and heart damage. Monkeypox is transmitted through close contact with lesions, bodily fluids, or respiratory droplets. In addition to the rash, symptoms may include fever, chills, swollen lymph nodes, respiratory symptoms, and muscle aches. Most infections are mild and symptoms can last two to four weeks. More than 50,000 cases of monkeypox have been recorded in the global outbreak. The World Health Organization lists 50,496 cases and 16 deaths as reported this year.
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