Myocarditis Program at Mayo Clinic

The Myocarditis Program at Mayo Clinic provides information to patients and professionals, and serves as a center for research into the causes and treatment of myocarditis, with a focus on giant cell myocarditis and cardiac sarcoidosis. Giant cell myocarditis (GCM), a rare disorder that presents with inflammation of the heart muscle, typically affects young, previously healthy individuals. GCM is characterized by the progressive inability of the heart to pump blood effectively to the lungs and the rest of the body and irregularities in the rhythm of the heartbeat originating in the lower chambers of the heart, resulting in potentially life-threatening complications. Cardiac sarcoidosis is characterized by involvement of the heart in systemic sarcoidosis. Sarcoidosis, an uncommon multisystem disorder of unknown cause, is characterized by the formation of rounded, granular, inflammatory nodules (tubercles) consisting of cells resembling those that line internal and external surfaces of the body (epithelioid tissue).