Heart Inflammation - Treatment - Treatment

Your doctor may prescribe one or more medicines to treat heart inflammation, depending on the type and cause of heart inflammation.

Endocarditis

• Antibiotics to treat bacterial infections. Side effects of antibiotics depend on which antibiotic is used but may include diarrhea; problems with hearing, balance, and kidneys; and decreased white blood cell counts. Some of these side effects may not happen until treatment is finished.
• Antifungal medicines to treat fungal infections. Sometimes your doctor may recommend lifelong oral antifungal treatment to prevent the infection from returning. Possible side effects of antifungal medicines include allergic reactions, such as diarrhea, dizziness, itching, blisters or hives, difficulty breathing, weight loss, and jaundice .
• Blood thinners to treat some types of endocarditis

Myocarditis

• Corticosteroids to lower the activity of the body’s immune system. Corticosteroids may be used to treat myocarditis caused by autoimmune diseases, such as lupus.
• Heart failure medicines to decrease the work of the heart when heart failure is a complication. Your doctor may recommend medicines such as beta blockers and angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors.
• Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) helps control the body’s immune and inflammatory response.

Pericarditis

• Anti-inflammatory medicines to treat pericarditis. These include colchicine, aspirin, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen and indomethacin. Side effects are mainly gastrointestinal and include abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea.
• Corticosteroids to lower the activity of the body’s immune system. With pericarditis, corticosteroids are used only in patients who are not responding to or cannot take NSAIDs.
• Intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) to help control the body’s immune and inflammatory response. This may be used when there is an autoimmune disorder, such as lupus.

Your doctor may consider procedures and surgeries to treat your heart inflammation, including:

• Heart surgery to manage damage to valves or nearby heart tissue from endocarditis. It may involve removal of infected tissues or reconstruction of the heart, including repairing or replacing the affected valve.
• Pericardiocentesis to remove excess fluid in the pericardium, called a pericardial effusion

Your doctor may recommend lifestyle changes depending on the cause of your heart inflammation. These recommendations may include:

• Avoiding amphetamines, cocaine, or IV drugs
• Maintaining good dental hygiene

• Living With will discuss what your doctor may recommend, including lifelong lifestyle changes, medical care, and procedures to help prevent your heart inflammation from recurring, getting worse, or causing complications.
• Research for Your Health will discuss how we are using current research and advancing research to treat people with endocarditis, pericarditis, and myocarditis.