What happens when your heart gets inflamed and 10 ways to deal with it
Sometimes your heart gets inflamed when your body’s trying to fight off an infection or injury. It’s your immune system trying to help — but this can sometimes backfire and cause more serious heart problems.
Spot the symptoms If you’ve been feeling chest pain, unusually tired, struggling to breathe, or your heart feels like it's skipping beats — don’t brush it off. These could be signs your heart is inflamed and asking for help. Identifying such signs at an early stage can help prevent complications.(Image: Canva)
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Understand the types There’s more than one kind of heart inflammation. One affects the heart muscle, another affects the outer lining, and one even targets the valves inside, like myocarditis, pericarditis and endocarditis. They all sound scary, but knowing what’s going on helps you and your doctor manage it better.(Image: Canva)
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Know the causes Heart inflammation often starts with an infection — caused by a pathogen like virus or bacteria. But it can also show up if you have conditions like lupus or rheumatoid arthritis, where your immune system goes into overdrive and starts attacking healthy tissues.(Image: Canva)
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Don’t dismiss fatigue If you're tired in a way that feels off — like even simple tasks wear you out, or you're feeling weak without reason — it might be your heart working overtime due to inflammation. It's not just tiredness, it's a warning sign. This breathlessness may be graded according to certain classification systems, like NYHA.(Image: Canva)
Track fever and chills A sudden fever without a clear reason, feeling cold and shaky aren’t just random flu symptoms — if they come with chest pain or strange heart sensations, it could be your body signalling a heart infection. However, fever and chills may also occur due to multiple other reasons as well.(Image: Canva)
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Monitor breathing issues Finding it hard to catch your breath, even when you're resting or lying down, isn’t just about being unfit. When your heart's inflamed, fluid can build up and make it hard for your lungs to expand properly. It's a red flag. If this occurs along with chest pain, you should possibly check with your healthcare provider.(Image: Canva)
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See a doctor Don’t try to self-diagnose. If you have these symptoms, speak to your GP. They may run tests like an ECG (to check your heart rhythm), blood tests, or even a heart scan to figure out what’s going on. Other tests may be advised depending on overall symptoms.(Image: Canva)
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Explore treatment options Treatment depends on what’s causing the inflammation. It could be as simple as taking anti-inflammatory meds or antibiotics. In more serious cases, a hospital stay or even minor surgery might be needed — but only if it’s caught late or gets worse.(Image: Canva)
Make lifestyle changes Helping your heart heal means giving it less work to do. Eat more veggies and healthy fats, skip the alcohol and cigarettes, and try to get gentle exercise (once your doctor says it’s okay). These small changes really do add up.(Image: Canva)
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Listen to your body If you've had heart inflammation before, pay attention to anything that feels off. A little chest tightness or breathlessness could mean it’s flaring up again. It’s better to check and be safe than ignore it and risk more damage. Continuing the medications as prescribed is essential.(Image: Canva) Disclaimer: This article, including health and fitness advice, only provides generic information. Don’t treat it as a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist for specific health diagnosis
Rajeshwaari Kalla is a freelance health and wellness writer
