Recurrent Reversible Dilated Cardiomyopathy Secondary to Viral and Streptococcal Pneumonia Vaccine-Associated Myocarditis

Abstract

Myocarditis is inflammation of cardiac muscle, which may be acute, subacute, or chronic with either focal or diffuse involvement of the myocardium. This leads to a cardiomyopathy with clinical features of heart failure as well as echocardiographic evidence of global dilation of the cardiac chambers. There are numerous reports in the literature of viral myocarditis causing dilated cardiomyopathy; however, there are no reports of recurrent viral myocarditis and vaccine-associated myocarditis in a single patient with complete reversal of the cardiomyopathy and return to normal cardiac function. We present a case of recurrent myocarditis in a female patient caused by a viral upper respiratory infection and streptococcal pneumonia vaccination who presented with recurrent episodes of reversible cardiomyopathy.