Myocarditis is inflammation of the myocardium, the muscular layer of the heart. This inflammation can weaken the heart and make it less able to pump blood effectively.
Severe myocarditis can weaken the heart to the point that the body doesn’t get enough oxygen. Sluggish muscle contraction and pooling of blood in the heart may result in clots that could travel to the brain, causing a stroke, or to the coronary blood vessels of the heart, causing a heart attack.
