Acute and Chronic Myocarditis in Men and Women.
E, A., A, S., M, P., N, C., M, D.C., M, V., DI, C.T., I, C., P, S., & C, S. (2026). Acute and Chronic Myocarditis in Men and Women.. Current heart failure reports. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11897-026-00768-7
E A, A S, M P, N C, M DC, M V, et al. Acute and Chronic Myocarditis in Men and Women.. Current heart failure reports. 2026; doi: 10.1007/s11897-026-00768-7
E A, A S, M P, et al. Acute and Chronic Myocarditis in Men and Women.[J]. Current heart failure reports. 2026. DOI: 10.1007/s11897-026-00768-7.
@article{e2026,
author = {Ammirati E and Selimi A and Palazzini M and Conti N and Di Cicco M and Varrenti M and Conforme Torres DI and Cartella I and Sormani P and Santolamazza C},
title = {Acute and Chronic Myocarditis in Men and Women.},
journal = {Current heart failure reports},
year = {2026},
doi = {10.1007/s11897-026-00768-7},
note = {PMID: 42340531},
}
TY - JOUR AU - Ammirati E AU - Selimi A AU - Palazzini M AU - Conti N AU - Di Cicco M AU - Varrenti M AU - Conforme Torres DI AU - Cartella I AU - Sormani P AU - Santolamazza C TI - Acute and Chronic Myocarditis in Men and Women. T2 - Current heart failure reports PY - 2026 DO - 10.1007/s11897-026-00768-7 AN - PMID:42340531 ER -
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Acute myocarditis (AM) shows sex-specific differences in prevalence, clinical phenotype, and outcomes. This review summarizes evidence from studies published between 2000 and 2026 reporting sex-stratified data on AM epidemiology, presentation, and prognosis to guide future research and a more personalized management. RECENT FINDINGS: AM is more frequent in males (54-84%), who present at a younger median age than females (31-35 vs. 38-54 years). This disparity emerges from school age, peaks between 15 and 50 years, and attenuates after menopause, when female incidence increases. Men more often present with chest pain (78-91% vs. 58-78%), ST-segment elevation (35-75% vs. 8-44%), and higher troponin levels. Women more frequently present with dyspnea (29-71% vs. 9-26%), heart failure (11-55% vs. 4-47%), and a prior autoimmune disease (4-25% vs 1-10%). Contemporary registries suggest a worse early course in women, with fulminant presentation in 10-71% vs. 15-17% in men, and in-hospital mortality of 4-8% vs. 2-5%. Conversely, men appear more prone to recurrent myocarditis (3-6% vs. 2-3%). Women are overrepresented in AM associated with desmosomal gene variants (33-69%) and systemic lupus erythematosus (83-91%), whereas men predominate in eosinophilic myocarditis (67-82%) and cardiac sarcoidosis (57-70%). Current evidence supports meaningful sex-related differences in AM prevalence and prognosis, with women appearing to experience a worse early clinical course despite the overall male predominance. Larger dedicated studies are needed to improve sex-tailored risk stratification and management.