Further Studies of Enterovirus Infections in Cardiac Disease and Pleurodynia

Abstract

Virological investigations of 135 patients showed evidence of enterovirus infection in 8 of 10 with acute pleurodynia, 20 of 30 with acute myocarditis, 8 of 32 with acute pericarditis, 6 of 53 with other cardiac diseases, and 1 of 10 with miscellaneous non-cardiac diseases. These and other reported findings suggest that enteroviruses, particularly those of the coxsackie group, are important causes of acute myocarditis and pericarditis.