Acute myocarditis caused by tsutsugamushi infection mimicking acute myocardial infarction: a case report

Abstract

Acute myocarditis is an acute inflammatory disease of the myocardium induced by various causes. Partial acute myocarditis can cause chest pain, dynamic changes of myocardial enzymes and electrocardiogram, which mimick clinical symptoms of acute myocardial infarction. Tsutsugamushi infection is an acute infectious disease caused by Rickettsia tsutsugamushi, which can lead to diffuse interstitial inflammation of the myocardium. Tsutsugamushi disease presents with various clinical manifestations, which is prone to be missed diagnosis and misdiagnosed. In this article, the diagnosis and treatment of a patient with acute myocarditis caused by tsutsugamushi infection mimicking acute myocardial infarction were reported. The pathogenesis and mechanism of acute myocarditis caused by tsutsugamushi infection were discussed. Clinicians should deepen the understanding of tsutsugamushi infection, and deliver prompt identification and active treatment.

Keywords

• |acute myocarditis|tsutsugamushi disease|acute myocardial infarction|electrocardiogram