Preface

Myocarditis is among the most common causes of non-congenital, non-ischemic sudden death in otherwise normal, healthy young adults. Myocarditis is heterogeneous disease, most patients recover spontaneously, but some forms of myocarditis are very serious and could be fatal. Additionally, some myocarditis patients develop dilated cardiomyopathy. This book provides a compendium of studies from leading international experts on various aspects of myocarditis. It consists of 20 chapters in three sections.

In the first section, we have included chapters providing clinical perspectives on myocarditis. Here, readers can find comprehensive reviews summarizing the causes of myocarditis, its classification, diagnosis and treatment. The part also includes a chapter that focuses on perimyocarditis and its causes, presentation and clinical management. It also includes a comprehensive review of Chagas' chronic myocarditis, another important type of myocarditis. We have also included a chapter discussing myocarditis in HIV positive patients, with an emphasis on imaging techniques in diagnosis, and a chapter on supporting treatment for myocardial ischemia using angiopoietin-1.

The second part of the book is dedicated to the pathogenesis of myocarditis. The chapters in this part also discuss some clinical findings, but mostly focus on the underlying mechanism of the disease, using in-depth data from mouse models. Some of the chapters focus on host immune response. For example, one chapter reviews the role of pattern-recognition receptors in myocarditis, and another chapter examines the role of lymphocyte effectors in myocarditis pathogenesis. Other chapters in this part provide in-depth the myocarditis pathogenesis from the perspective of damage induced by an infectious agent and discuss the pathways and mechanisms activated during the viral infection. The second part also includes a chapter discussing the link between exposure to tobacco smoke and viral myocarditis.

Finally, the third part focuses on promising topics for future research and clinical care. It discusses new findings in disease pathogenesis that could lead to new directions for clinical diagnosis and treatment of myocarditis. First chapter discusses biomarkers of heart failure in myocarditis and dilated cardiomyopathy. Another chapter is dedicated to identifying proteins that could be used as diagnostic markers or therapeutic targets.

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Next chapter discusses how electroanatomical mapping may guide endomyocardial biopsy and increase sensitivity of the biopsy. It has been long suspected that acute myocarditis or other acute cardiac injury can trigger autoimmune reaction against some heart antigens, one of the chapters of this section discuss ongoing clinical study that is addressing this question. The final chapter focuses on new perspectives for myocarditis therapy.

### **Daniela Cihakova, MD, PhD**

Immunologic Disorders Laboratory The Johns Hopkins University Maryland, USA

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myocarditis therapy.

Next chapter discusses how electroanatomical mapping may guide endomyocardial biopsy and increase sensitivity of the biopsy. It has been long suspected that acute myocarditis or other acute cardiac injury can trigger autoimmune reaction against some heart antigens, one of the chapters of this section discuss ongoing clinical study that is addressing this question. The final chapter focuses on new perspectives for

> **Daniela Cihakova, MD, PhD** Immunologic Disorders Laboratory The Johns Hopkins University

> > Maryland, USA

**Part 1** 

**Myocarditis from Clinical Perspective** 
