Causes of Myocarditis
1. Infectious Myocarditis
• Bacterial - Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, Pneumococcus, Meningococcus, Gonococcus, Salmonella, Corynebacterium diphtheriae, Haemophilus influenzae, Myobacterium (tuberculosis), Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Brucella
• Spirochaetal - Borrelia (Lyme disease), Leptospira (Weil disease)
• Fungal - Aspergillus, Actinomyces, Blastomyces, Candida, Coccidioides, Cryptococcus, Histoplasma, Mucormycoses, Nocardia, Sporothrix
• Protozoal - Trypanosoma cruzi, Toxoplasma gondii, Entamoeba, Leishmania
• Parasitic - Trichinella spiralis, Echinococcus granulosus, Taenia solium
• Rickettsial - Coxiella bumetti (Q fever), R. rickettsia (Rocky Mountain Spotted fever), R. tsutsugamuschi
• Viral - RNA viruses: Cox sackie viruses A and B, echo viruses, polio viruses, influenza A and B viruses, respiratory syncytial virus, mumps virus, measles virus, rubella virus, hepatitis C virus, dengue virus, yellow fever virus, Chikungunya virus, Junin virus, Lassa fever virus, rabies virus, human immunodeficiency virus-1 DNA viruses: Adenoviruses, parvovirus B 19, cytomegalovirus, human herpes virus-6, Epstein-Barr virus, varicella-zoster virus, herpes simplex virus, variola virus, vaccinia virus
2. Immune-mediated myocarditis
• Allergens - Tetanus toxoid, vaccines, serum sickness. Drugs: Penicillin, cefaclor, colchicine, furosemide, isoniazid, lidocaine, tetracycline, sulfonamides, phenytoin, phenylbutazone, methyldopa, thiazide diuretics, amitriptyline
• Alloantigens - Heart transplant rejection
• Autoantigens - Infection-negative lymphocytic, infection-negative giant cell. Associated with autoimmune or immune-oriented disorders: Systemic lupus erythematosus, rheumatoid arthritis, Churg-Strauss syndrome, Kawasaki's disease, inflammatory bowel disease, scleroderma, polymyositis, myasthenia gravis, insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, thyrotoxicosis, sarcoidosis, Wegener's granulomatosis, rheumatic heart disease (rheumatic fever)
3. Toxic myocarditis
• Drugs - Amphetamines, anthracyclines, cocaine, cyclophosphamide, ethanol, fluorouracil, lithium, catecholamines, hemetine, interleukin-2, trastuzumab, clozapine
• Heavy metals - Copper, iron, lead (rare, more commonly cause intramyocyte accumulation)
• Miscellaneous - Scorpion sting, snake and spider bites, bee and wasp stings, carbon monoxide, inhalants, phosphorus, arsenic, sodium azide
• Hormones - Phaeochromocytoma, vitamins: beri-beri
• Physical agents - Radiation, Electric Shock
#Myocarditis #Causes #differential #diagnosis #cardiology
Transverse Myelitis Overview
Focal inflammatory disorder of the spinal cord resulting in rapid onset of weakness, sensory alterations, and bowel or bladder dysfunction
Epidemiology:
• 1400 new cases in the US each year
• Bimodal peaks between the ages of 10 to 19 years and 30 to 39 years
• 10-33% develop MS over a five to ten-year period
• 75-90% of cases TM is monophasic
Pathophysiology of Transverse Myelitis:
• Excessive activation of an immune response against the spinal cord that results in CNS inflammation and tissue damage
Mechanisms:
• Idiopathic: etiology unknown
• Infectious: Direct microbial infection versus molecular mimicry or super-antigen mediated disease
• Immune Mediated
Transverse Myelitis - Clinical Presentation:
Injury to the spinal cord (Myelopathy) without cord compression (MRI) and findings of varying degrees of:
1. Weakness:
- Weakness that preferentially affects the flexors of the legs and the extensors of the arms (pyramidal distribution of weakness)
- Flaccidity -> Spasticity
- Reflexes: decreased or absent initially -> Hyperreflexia develops later
2. Sensory Alterations:
- Sensory features: paresthesias ascending from feet with or without back pain at/near level of myelitis
3. Autonomic Dysfunction:
- Autonomic: Bowel/Bladder dysfunction, temperature dysregulation, bouts of HTN
Diagnostic Criteria:
• Sensory, motor, or autonomic dysfunction located at the spinal cord
• T2 hyperintense signal change on spinal MRI
• No evidence of compressive cord lesion
• Bilateral signs and/or symptoms
• Clearly defined sensory level
• CSF inflammation: CSF pleocytosis, elevated IgG index
• Progression hours to days
Transverse Myelitis Diagnosis:
• Must rule out compressive myelopathies!
• Gadolinium-enhanced MRI of the spinal cord
- Increased T2 signal and expansion of the cord
- No cord compression
- More than 2/3 of the cross-sectional area is involved
- Focal enlargement
- T2WI hyperintensity
- Enhancement
- TM and tumor the cord is swollen, while in MS and ADEM the cord is not swollen or less swollen
- Lesion > 3 levels: Evaluate for NMO, SLE or Sjogren's
• CSF:
- Abnormal in 50% of cases
- Pleocytosis: Mild lymphocytic
- Pleocytosis > 100 cells: consider infectious myelitis
- Elevated IgG index
- Oligoclonal IgG bands (85 to 95% Predictive of MS)
• Check Vitamin B12 and copper levels
• NMO-IgG (anti-AQP4) should be tested and if negative, MOG-IgG test should be ordered
• Infectious causes need to be ruled out
• Brain MRI: Check for brain and/or optic nerve lesions suggestive of multiple sclerosis, NMOSD, MOG antibody disorders, or ADEM
Transverse Myelitis Etiologies:
• Demyelination:
- Multiple sclerosis (MS)
- Neuromyelitis optica (NMO)
- Idiopathic transverse myelitis
- ADEM
- Post vaccination
- Myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG) antibody disorders
• Infections:
- Herpes zoster, West Nile virus
- Herpes simplex virus, HIV, Hep A/B/CMV, TB
- Treponema Pallidum
- Lyme Disease Mycoplasma
- Leptospirosis, Brucellosis
- Dengue, EBV, Influenza, Enteroviruses
• Idiopathic:
- Post Infectious
- Post Vaccine
• Inflammatory Disorders:
- SLE
- Neurosarcoidosis
- MCTD
- Bechet disease
- Sjogren
- Vasculitis- Heroin
• Paraneoplastic:
- AntiGAD65, NMDAR, AntiCRMP IgG, Anti-Hu
- Antiamphiphysin antibodies
• Nutritional Deficiency:
- Vitamin B12, E, D, copper
Transverse Myelitis Treatment:
• Steroids
• Plasma exchange
• Immunomodulatory agents: IVIG
• Cyclophosphamide
#Transverse #Myelitis #diagnosis #management #neurology #differential