Key result
A 50-year-old man developed acute myocarditis following a black widow spider bite and successfully recovered after 12 days of empirical medical therapy.
Why the study?
Cases of myocarditis following a black widow spider bite are rare and occasionally fatal, but the prognostic significance and clinical presentation remain unknown.
Case Report (n=1)
No
Acute myocarditis is a rare but potentially lethal complication of a black widow spider bite that requires prompt recognition and supportive cardiac care.
Answers are grounded in this paper and cite their sources.
BWS bite-associated myocarditis may occur; leaves open questions on incidence, prognosis, and management.
The black widow spider (BWS) is a venomous spider whose bite can cause various clinical conditions that range from local damage to serious systemic complications, including death. Cases of myocarditis following a BWS bite are rare but they can be fatal on occasion. However, the prognostic significance of the bite and presentation of myocarditis is unknown. Our case involved a 50-year-old man who presented with myocarditis after being bitten by a BWS and subsequently admitted to the intensive care unit for cardiac monitoring. During the hospital stay, he showed worsening signs on both the electrocardiographic and echocardiographic evaluations despite therapeutic success. Subsequent cardiac magnetic resonance and coronary angiography investigations showed no significant alterations; blood and instrumental test results slowly improved, and the patient was discharged home after 12 days of hospitalization without complications. This case illustrates that acute myocarditis, although an infrequent complication of BWS bite, has the potential to be lethal. The correct diagnosis, which is not always easy to formulate, is important to identify those patients who can benefit from careful monitoring and specific therapies aimed at reducing the risk of life.
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Piscopo et al. (2020) conducted a case report in Acute myocarditis (n=1). Black widow spider bite was evaluated on Clinical recovery. A 50-year-old man developed acute myocarditis following a black widow spider bite and successfully recovered after 12 days of empirical medical therapy.
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