Coronavirus-induced myocarditis: A meta-summary of cases.
Jamie Sy Ho, Ching-Hui Sia, Mark Yy Chan and 2 others
PMID 32861884WHAT IT FOUND
Most reported COVID-19 myocarditis cases were possible diagnoses, not confirmed.
Patients often had fever, breathlessness, cough or chest pain. This case review does not show how common it is or whether treatments helped.
Key findings
01The review included 31 studies describing 51 cases of reported myocarditis with SARS-CoV-2 infection; 12 were confirmed by cardiac MRI or histopathology and 39 were possible diagnoses.
02Median age was 55 years, 69% were male, and the most common symptoms were fever 62%, shortness of breath 48%, cough 48%, and chest pain 34%.
03In the confirmed cases, the paper reports six recovered or were discharged, one improved and 2 died.
STILL TO COME
How it was doneWhat they foundWhat it means for RNs
Read the rest of this summary
You get three full summaries a month, free, and we do not ask for a card. Search, the TL;DRs and your library stay unlimited either way.
What it does not show
Most evidence was case reports and small case series, so the cases may not represent all people with COVID-19 myocarditis. Only 12 of the 51 cases were confirmed by cardiac MRI or tissue examination; 39 were possible diagnoses. Reporting was incomplete, so some diagnostic details and outcomes were missing. There was no control group, so the paper cannot show how often myocarditis occurs in COVID-19 or whether any treatment worked.
Declared interests
No funding was reported and no competing interests were declared.
The easy way to misread this
Do not conclude that COVID-19 commonly causes myocarditis or that any treatment improved outcomes. Most diagnoses were possible rather than confirmed, the evidence was case reports and small series, and there was no control group.