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Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it - Printable Version

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Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it - Bigiron - 17-07-2022

Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it
https://tdy.sg/3IOhhar


RE: Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it - Teeth53 - 17-07-2022

‘I (she) couldn’t move body’: Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it.

Ms Lee Pei Hsia in hospital receiving treatment to drain excess fluid from her lungs due to myocarditis.
Viral infections such as Covid-19, influenza, dengue, and hepatitis B and C can lead to myocarditis
The National Heart Centre Singapore has seen slightly more cases of this condition of heart inflammation during the Covid-19 pandemic
A doctor said the increase could be due to more people getting Covid-19 that then led to myocarditis
Young healthy individuals can develop myocarditis due to an over-activation of immune responses triggered by an acute infection

A 30-yr-old talked about her “scary” experience with heart inflammation that was not Covid-19-related.

In May, Ms Lee Pei Hsia came down with a fever. What had initially looked like a viral infection led to a serious case of acute myocarditis, which is an inflammatory condition of the heart muscle.

The 30-year-old financial adviser said: “I thought it was just a common infection. I didn’t expect that it would be so serious and affect my heart.”

Being young and healthy, Ms Lee did not see the heart inflammation coming.

After developing a fever, she recalled feeling weak and had trouble falling asleep at night due to chest pain and breathlessness. She also vomited.

“I couldn’t move my body. I knew something was wrong when I could not walk and had to be supported,” she said.

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At the emergency department of a public hospital, she was suspected to have had a heart attack at first, but scans later showed that it was myocarditis.

HOW VIRUSES CAN ATTACK THE HEART
Viral infections are one of the common causes of myocarditis.

This heart condition came to be in the news more frequently during the Covid-19 pandemic when infected patients or those who took the vaccine developed the condition.

Assistant Professor Louis Teo, senior consultant at the department of cardiology at National Heart Centre Singapore (NHCS), explained that the Sars-Cov-2 coronavirus, which causes Covid-19, can directly infect the heart cells and damage them.

Or the virus can trigger excessive inflammatory and immune responses in the body, leading to white blood cells attacking the heart.

However, it is not just the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus that can cause myocarditis.

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Clinical and interventional cardiologist Derek Yong, one of the doctors who treated Ms Lee earlier this year, said that common viruses can do that, too.

They include the adenovirus (which causes cold-like symptoms), influenza virus, and the dengue, hepatitis B and C, varicella and rubella viruses.

Dr Yong is the medical director for Restore Heart Centre and co-medical director for Prime Heart Centre.

WHY THE YOUNG AND HEALTHY GET IT
Asst Prof Teo said that younger adults are at a higher risk of developing myocarditis due to their robust immune system.

At NHCS, doctors typically see the condition affecting “young healthy adults in their 30s to 40s”.

“They were previously healthy individuals without past medical problems and developed sudden myocarditis,” Asst Prof Teo said.

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“Young adults with robust immune system have an over-activation of the immune responses triggered by (acute viral or bacterial infections). This leads to the immune system self-attacking the heart muscle, causing myocarditis.”


I felt that I’d not done enough. My time was not up yet. I told Dr Derek (Yong) that I would stick to the option (of medication). I prayed and held on to the belief that my heart would recover.
Ms Lee Pei Hsia, 30, who said that it was a frightening experience getting myocarditis

Worldwide, myocarditis is estimated to affect 10 to 20 people for every 100,000 people, Asst Prof Teo said.

NHCS, which sees around 20 to 30 myocarditis cases each year, has seen a slight increase in cases since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

Asst Prof Teo said that NHCS saw around five to 10 more myocarditis cases a year during the pandemic, but added that the actual increase in the number of cases in Singapore is unknown.

The increase could be due to people getting myocarditis after being infected with Covid-19, he added.

In another group of patients, myocarditis can occur due to underlying autoimmune disorders such as hyperthyroidism, rheumatoid arthritis and lupus erythematosus, Asst Prof Teo said.

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Ms Lee said that her doctors believed her myocarditis episode was likely related to a viral infection since she had a fever before she took a turn for the worse.

However, they were not able to pinpoint the type of virus. She tested negative for Covid-19.

Ms Lee said that myocarditis linked to Covid-19 vaccination was also ruled out. She received her first booster shot about three months before she fell ill.

VACCINATION-RELATED HEART INFLAMMATION
Myocarditis is one of the reported "adverse events" or undesirable medical conditions that can occur from Covid-19 vaccination.


RE: Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it - singlon - 17-07-2022

Heart ang2 cheng2 inflamed
valve damaged
inflammations r caused by toxins and the body defenders' response like for ex shooting acids at enemies.


RE: Singaporean, 30, stricken by myocarditis; doctors explain why younger people get it - singlon - 17-07-2022

https://youtu.be/kB5dsScFjYk?list=PL1yqRrBFrqB9L40D0MUcNTV2A6fY9b1Q0