Is enterovirus infection associated with acute myocarditis, pericarditis, and pleurodynia?
Enteroviruses, particularly the coxsackie group, are frequently identified in and likely important causes of acute myocarditis and pericarditis.
Virological investigations of 135 patients showed evidence of enterovirus infection in 8 of 10 with acute pleurodynia, 20 of 30 with acute myocarditis, 8 of 32 with acute pericarditis, 6 of 53 with other cardiac diseases, and 1 of 10 with miscellaneous non-cardiac diseases. These and other reported findings suggest that enteroviruses, particularly those of the coxsackie group, are important causes of acute myocarditis and pericarditis.
Bell et al. (Wed,) studied this question.