New insights into how viruses disrupt heart function and lead to sudden cardiac deaths

In a potentially game-changing development, scientists with the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at VTC have revealed a new understanding of sometimes fatal viral infections that affect the heart. Traditionally, the focus has been on heart inflammation known as myocarditis, which is often triggered by the body’s immune response to a viral infection. However, a new study led by James Smyth, associate professor at the Fralin Biomedical Research Institute, sheds new light on this notion, revealing that the virus itself creates potentially dangerous conditions in the heart before inflammation sets in. The discovery, now online and set to appear in the March 29 issue of Circulation Research, suggests completely new directions to diagnose and treat viral infections affecting the heart. Given the high incidence of viral-related myocarditis leading to sudden cardiac death, the insight is crucial. Up to 42 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in young adults are attributed to myocarditis, and of these cases...