Myocarditis often follows which type of illness?

• A. Upper respiratory symptoms.
• B. Myocardial infarction.
• C. Deep vein thrombosis.
• D. Bacterial endocarditis.

Answer: (A)

Myocarditis is most often triggered by a viral infection, so it commonly follows an upper respiratory illness. Many viruses that cause colds or flu—such as Coxsackie B, adenovirus, and parvovirus B19—can injure heart muscle cells directly or trigger an immune response that damages the myocardium. This post-viral pattern explains why patients may develop chest pain, fatigue, or shortness of breath a few days to weeks after an URI, sometimes with elevated cardiac enzymes and ECG changes. In contrast, a heart attack results from blocked coronary arteries, deep vein thrombosis is a venous clot issue, and bacterial endocarditis is infection of the heart valves; none of these follow an upper respiratory illness as a typical sequence.