FREQUENCY OF MYOCARDITIS IN PEDIATRIC PATIENTS WITH HEART FAILURE

Abstract

Objective: To determine the prevalence of myocarditis in the pediatric patients with heart failure and to estimate the correlation between myocarditis and the demographic and clinical variables. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Place and Duration of the Study: This study was conducted in the Department of Pediatric Medicine, Peoples University of Medical & Health Sciences for Women (PUMHS-W), Nawabshah, over a period of three months following approval of the synopsis. Methodology: Non-probability consecutive sampling was used to enroll 95 pediatric patients who presented with heart failure and were aged between 1-15 years. The age, gender, the length of time of symptoms, weight, living status, the level of education of parents, the clinical signs and the signs were documented. Myocarditis was confirmed according to the clinical presentation, electrocardiographic changes, high cardiac levels of troponin and echocardiographic findings of left ventricle dysfunction. The analysis of data was done through the use of SPSS version 25.0. Descriptive statistics were done and post-stratification chi-square or fisher exact test was used. A p-value ≤ 0.05 was deemed to be significant. Results: The patients were diagnosed with myocarditis in 69 (72.6%). There was a strong correlation between myocarditis and the male gender, older age, the rural population, uneducated parents and being overweight (p < 0.001). Most cases of myocarditis were characterized by tachycardia, tachypnea, T-wave inversion, elevated levels of troponin and left ventricular ejection fraction ≤35% were the norm. Conclusion: Myocarditis is a frequent cause of pediatric heart failure, especially in males, older children and in rural and socioeconomically disadvantaged children. Early diagnosis by simple clinical examination and investigations that are easily accessible can help in better outcomes.