Inflammation of the heart muscle due to a delayed cold or infection

Cough, runny nose, mild headache, fatigue and increased temperature are classic symptoms of a cold (doctors speak of a flu-like infection). The symptoms are often accompanied by fatigue and muscle pain and indicate that our immune system is actively fighting bacteria or viruses. The mucus formation is intended to transport viruses and bacteria out of the body. A cold usually lasts a few days, and symptoms are normal up to a length of about a week.

If you don't take the cold seriously and don't give your body enough rest and regeneration time, you can delay the infection. In severe cases, superinfections can develop. One of the most dangerous consequences is myocarditis caused by a delayed cold.

Risk of a delayed cold: If symptoms remain

Lack of rest is one of the most common reasons why the delayed cold becomes a danger to health. It goes back to sports or back to work too quickly, even though the body and immune system are still stressed by the infection.

The most common sign of a delayed flu infection: The symptoms simply do not go away completely. A cold, for example, becomes sinusitis, a sinus infection. Symptoms of this are colored mucus (mucosal secretion) as well as headaches and jaw pain. The sinuses are tight, which causes pressure. Coughing can turn into bronchitis or, in the worst case, pneumonia. Both diseases are characterized by shortness of breath, often accompanied by purulent sputum.

If the inflammation travels with the blood to the heart or brain, myocarditis or meningitis can be the result. If the cold does not subside after a few days, you should therefore continue to take it easy, avoid sports and seek medical help.

Inflammation of the heart muscle due to a delayed cold

Myocarditis is usually the result of viral inflammation. The Latin name comes from the fact that cells in the muscle tissue of the heart, the myocardium, are affected. Even if these consequences are rare: In severe cases, myocarditis can lead to cardiac arrhythmias and even sudden cardiac death. The doctor should therefore keep myocarditis in mind as a possible consequence. This is especially true because the symptoms can be diffuse. Signs include:

• Symptoms occur in temporal proximity to a respiratory infection or a gastrointestinal infection.
• Those affected suffer from fatigue, fatigue, headache and/or shortness of breath.
• Chest pain
• Cardiac arrhythmias, tachycardia or skipped heartbeats

If several of these signs apply, patients should definitely seek medical help, take it easy physically and refrain from exercising.

How does a delayed cold become a superinfection?

Most so-called colds have a viral cause. But if the immune system is severely challenged or overwhelmed, for example because you don't take it easy long enough, bacteria can take advantage of this to additionally attack the mucous membranes. The result is bronchitis or sinusitis. Experts speak of a superinfection, in which the immune system has to fight against different pathogens on several fronts at the same time.

Curing a cold: This helps with flu-like infections

Patients with a flu-like infection need rest above all. Fresh air is okay and a slow walk can also be good during a cold, but the body in particular should be spared and muscles and cardiovascular system should not be overtaxed. In addition, you need a lot of fluids when you have a cold. Alcohol and cigarettes, on the other hand, are particularly stressful if you suffer from a flu-like infection.

Light food, preferably rich in proteins, vitamins and minerals, can also help. Even if chocolate is sometimes comforting - less is more when you are sick from a cold. And: Great tasks for digestion rob the body of additional strength.

Also important: During the duration of the cold - and preferably for a few days afterwards - avoid the sauna. The heat puts additional stress on the cardiovascular system.

Sport and training with fever: No-go for colds and infections

Fever is one of the clearest signs that one's own immune system is fighting viruses and/or bacteria. In a fever phase, the body needs energy for "defense". Extensive training, however, stresses the body and puts a strain on the cardiovascular system and lungs at the expense of the immune system.

In addition, blood circulation is strongly stimulated during sports. Germs that are spread with the blood thus reach the heart or brain more easily. One consequence can then be myocarditis.

Diagnosis of a delayed cold: Determining the risk of myocarditis

Precisely because myocarditis can cause such non-specific symptoms, the examination by a doctor is important. Information on recent illnesses as well as blood pressure values and a blood analysis (creatine kinase value and an increased number of leukocytes) can provide information about flu-like infections that are still preoccupying the immune system. An X-ray of the chest, an echocardiogram (ECG) or an ultrasound examination can also help to consolidate the diagnosis of a "delayed cold".

Treatment of myocarditis

The most important means of treating myocarditis is rest, the immune system must be able to work and this requires physical rest. Sports breaks for several months may be necessary. For other therapies, it depends on the cause of the myocarditis: In the case of bacteria, antibiotics can help, and antivirals can be used against viruses to inhibit the reproduction of the viruses.

ACE inhibitors, which are also prescribed for high blood pressure, are also used. They dilate the vessels and thus lower blood pressure. They can also cushion secondary symptoms such as shortness of breath and reduced performance in order to give the heart more room to recover. Loud German Heart Foundation one in five people with myocarditis may have heart failure as a long-term consequence or recur at a later date.