Myocarditis

Myocarditis is an inflammatory condition of the heart muscle (myocardium). Myocarditis and its complications can produce dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, exercise intolerance, chronic fatigue syndrome, and arrhythmias. The greater long-term threat of myocarditis is fibrosis — the replacement of healthy heart tissue with scar tissue — rather than the initial inflammation itself. Myocarditis causes discussed in medical literature include viral infections, medications, vaccines, and environmental toxins.