Clinical Advances in Inflammatory Heart Diseases

Dear Colleagues,

Inflammatory diseases of the heart encompass pericarditis, myocarditis, and endocarditis. Inflammation of heart is caused either by infectious agents such as viruses, bacteria, fungi, or parasites or non infectious such as systemic autoimmune/inflammatory diseases, drugs, toxins, or vaccines. Acute pericarditis is the commonest inflammatory heart disorder compared to acute myocarditis and infective endocarditis. Myocarditis constitutes a common cause of sudden cardiac death and dilated cardiomyopathy. Current data suggest that patients with biopsy-proven myocarditis may consequently develop dilated cardiomyopathy, associated with adverse outcomes. The epidemiology of IE has gradually modified with healthcare, representing 25–30% of contemporary cohorts due to the greater use of intravenous lines and intracardiac devices. Complicated cases of endocarditis accompanied by heart failure, valvular damage, and structural destruction (abscess, perforation, fistula formation) should be managed by a dedicated endocarditis team.

Cardiac amyloidosis can lead to cardiac dysfunction while intramyocardial inflammation directly correlated with increased mortality. Sarcoidosis is a multisystem inflammatory disease with 50% of cases with cardiac involvement. The disease spectrum is wide, and cardiac manifestations range from being asymptomatic to heart failure, arrhythmia, and sudden cardiac death. Inflammation underlies the pathogenesis of many common cardiovascular diseases (CVD) such as myocardial infarction, atherosclerosis, and dilated cardiomyopathy. Cardiovascular involvement is a well-known feature of inflammatory rheumatic diseases, thus, its early recognition and management is vital.

Classic inflammatory markers and novel ones such as circulating miRNAs could serve as biomarkers for diagnosis and disease monitoring in the context of inflammatory heart diseases. This Special Issue aims to cover the entire spectrum of inflammatory cardiac diseases elucidating underlying pathophysiological and molecular mechanisms, novel biomarkers, therapeutic algorithms, diagnostic techniques, and contemporary treatment targets.

Dr. Ioanna Koniari
Guest Editor

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• inflammation
• inflammatory cardiac disease
• myocarditis
• pericarditis
• endocarditis
• sarcoidosis
• amyloidosis