New Delhi: In a first, a 31-year-old male with confirmed monkeypox infection developed acute myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) approximately one week following the onset of monkeypox symptoms, researchers have revealed. According to a case study published in the journal JACC: Case Reports, the patient visited a health clinic five days following the onset of monkeypox symptoms, including malaise, myalgia, fever and multiple swollen lesions on the face, hands and genitalia.
Positive monkeypox infection was confirmed with a PCR swab sample of a skin lesion. The patient returned to the emergency department three days later reporting chest tightness radiating through the left arm. Myocarditis was previously associated with smallpox infection, a more aggressive virus, and the case study authors said that "by extrapolation, the monkeypox virus could have tropism for myocardium tissue or cause immune-mediated injury to the heart".
"Through this important case study, we are developing a deeper understanding of monkeypox, viral myocarditis and how to accurately diagnose and manage this disease," said Julia Grapsa, editor-in-chief of JACC: Case Reports. "The authors of this study have used CMR mapping, a comprehensive imaging tool, to help with the diagnosis of myocarditis. I commend the authors on this valuable clinical case during a critical time as monkeypox continues to spread globally," Grapsa said.