Monkeypox may potentially cause heart damage in some patients, according to a new international study.
Published in the JACC: Case Reports, the study found a 31-year-old man with a confirmed monkeypox infection developed acute myocarditis one week after first showing symptoms.
Myocarditis is inflammation of the heart muscle, typically caused by a viral infection.
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The lead author of the study, Dr Ana Isabel Pinho, said the case highlighted cardiac involvement as a potential complication associated with monkeypox infection.
"We believe that reporting this potential causal relationship can raise more awareness of the scientific community and health professionals for acute myocarditis as a possible complication associated with monkeypox," she said.
The study found the patient presented to a health clinic five days following the onset of monkeypox symptoms, including malaise, myalgia, fever and multiple swollen lesions on the face, hands and genitalia.
After a PCR swab sample of a skin lesion, it was confirmed the man had a positive monkeypox infection.
The patient returned to the emergency department three days later, reporting chest tightness radiating through his left arm.
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The patient was admitted to an intensive care unit after an examination with the clinical suspicion of acute myocarditis.
After electrocardiogram and blood work, results discovered that the patient had a range of abnormalities that could indicate stress injury to the heart.
The results of the cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) study performed on the patient were consistent with myocardial inflammation and a diagnosis of acute myocarditis.
Editor-in-chief Dr Julia Grapsa said through the study, they now had a "deeper understanding of monkeypox and viral myocarditis".
"(We know) how accurately diagnose and manage this disease," she said.
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The patient was discharged after one week with a full recovery.
The authors said further research is needed to identify the relationship between monkeypox and heart injury.
