Medical history (history of illness) is an important component in the diagnosis of myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle).
Family history
- Is there a history of frequent heart disease in your family?
Social history
Current medical history/systemic history (somatic and psychological complaints).
- What symptoms have you noticed?
- How long have these symptoms been present? Have they become worse?
- Do you feel tired and fatigued?
- Do you have a fever? If so, what is the temperature and how long has it been?
- Are you experiencing shortness of breath or chest pain?* .
- Have you noticed any heart palpitations?
- Did you notice a racing heart?*
- Have you noticed water retention, for example, in the legs?
Vegetative anamnesis incl. nutritional anamnesis.
- Have you lost body weight? Please tell us your body weight (in kg) and height (in cm).
- Has your appetite changed?
- Do you have good weight-bearing capacity? How many flights of stairs can you climb without shortness of breath?
- Do you use drugs? If yes, what drugs (cocaine) and how often per day or per week?
Self history incl. drug history.
- Pre-existing conditions (heart disease)
- Operations
- Radiotherapy
- Allergies
Medication history
- Anthracyclines (e.g. doxorubicin).
- Antibiotics
- Cephalosporins
- Tetracyclines
- Antirheumatic drugs
- Cephalosporins
- Checkpoint inhibitors – combined therapy with ipilimumab and nivolumab may lead to fuminant myocarditis
- Chemotherapeutic agents
- Clozapine (neuroleptic) – so-called hypersensitivity myocarditis.
- Catecholamines
- Penicillin
- Tricyclic antidepressants
- Sulfonamides
- Cytokines
Environmental history
- Arsenic
- Lead
- Copper
- Lithium
- Zinc
* If this question has been answered with “Yes”, an immediate visit to the doctor is required! (Data without guarantee)