Resumen

ARGUELLO BORBON, Kimberly. Sudden death due to acute myocarditis associated with influenza type B virus. Case report. Med. leg. Costa Rica [online]. 2021, vol.38, n.2, pp.60-68. ISSN 2215-5287.

Myocarditis is an inflammatory disease of the heart muscle. Viral infections are the most frequent cause of myocarditis, incluided Influenza B virus. The clinical presentation of acute miocarditis is highly variable, ranging from subclinical disease to fulminant heart failure and sometimes with sudden death. The major long term consequence is dilated cardiomyopathy with chronic heart failure. We present a case of a 17 years old woman who presented with viral symptoms for two days and then died suddenly; in the medico-legal autopsy, an acute lymphocytic myocarditis was documented through histopathological studies and the presence of influenza type B virus was evidenced by means of the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) technique of a tracheal smear. A review of the literature on myocarditis, mainly viral miocarditis caused by the Influenza B virus, was made.

Palabras clave : Myocarditis; influenza B virus; sudden death; medicolegal autopsy..

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