Transformation of myocarditis and inflammatory cardiomyopathy to idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy: facts and fiction.

There is broad evidence that enteroviruses and adenoviruses can induce an acute inflammation of the myocardium without cardiac dysfunction (i.e. myocarditis) or with cardiac dysfunction (i.e. inflammatory cardiomyopathy) that can transform to a virus-negative dilated cardiomyopathy. In the adult patient neither other viruses (parvo-B 19 virus, hepatitis C virus, cytomegalovirus) nor post-infection autoimmunity are likely to induce idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy.