II. Epidemiology
- Acute Viral Infection of skeletal Muscle
- Coxsackie Virus B or Echovirus most common
- Sporadic person to person transmission
- May occur in epidemics
III. Symptoms
- Viral Prodrome
- Sudden onset sharp stabbing, catching Chest Pain
- Paroxysmal episodes
- Lasts 2-10 hours
- May recur over a 3 week period
- Initial diaphoresis and severe Chest Pain
- Difficult to distinguish from Myocardial Infarction
IV. Signs
V. Diagnosis
- Electrocardiogram normal
- Chest XRay normal
- Viral Cultures positive (throat or stool)