Clinicodemographic features and outcome of acute myocarditis in children admitted at tertiary care hospital

BackgroundMyocarditis is an inflammatory disorder of myocardium associated with high mortality and morbidity. It is often difficult to diagnose because it can either be asymptomatic or mimic other illnesses. This study is conducted to evaluate clinicodemographic features and outcome of acute myocarditis in children admitted at a tertiary care hospital.MethodsMedical records of all children aged 1 month to 16 years who were admitted between 2005 and 2013 at Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi and discharged with a diagnosis of myocarditis were reviewed retrospectively. Clinical and demographic features, management and outcome were recorded.ResultsRecords of a total of 62 patients with the diagnosis of myocarditis were reviewed retrospectively between 2005 and 2013. Median age of patients was 12.5 months with 28 (45%) females and 34 (55%) males. The main presenting complaint observed was irritability (73%) and least common symptom was abdominal pain (23%) while the most frequently occurring examination finding was tachycardia (90%). Length of the hospital stay was 8 ± 4.7 days with 21 (34%) admissions in the ward and 41 (66%) in intensive care unit.ConclusionThe most frequent presentation in our study was irritability, followed by difficulty in breathing while the least common symptom was abdominal pain. Tachycardia was the commonest clinical sign observed so it is important to look for heart rate and rhythm in a sick child with irritability.