Toward evidence-based diagnosis of myocarditis in children and adolescents

The aim of this registry is to provide data on age-related clinical features of suspected myocarditis and to create a study platform allowing for deriving diagnostic criteria and, at a later stage, testing therapeutic interventions in patients with myocarditis.

STUDY DESIGN AND RESULTS: After an initial 6-month pilot phase, MYKKE was opened in June 2014 as a prospective multicenter registry for patients from pediatric heart centers, university hospitals, and community hospitals with pediatric cardiology wards in Germany. Inclusion criteria consisted of age<18 years and hospitalization for suspected myocarditis as leading diagnosis at the discretion of the treating physician. By December 31, 2015, fifteen centers across Germany were actively participating and had enrolled 149 patients. Baseline data reveal 2 age peaks (<2 years, >12 years), show higher proportions of males, and document a high prevalence of severe disease courses in pediatric patients with suspected myocarditis. Severe clinical courses and early adverse events were more prevalent in younger patients and were related to severely impaired leftventricular ejection fraction at initial presentation.

SUMMARY: MYKKE represents a multicenter registry and research platform for children and adolescents with suspected myocarditis that achieve steady recruitment and generate a wide range of real-world data on clinical course, diagnostic workup, and treatment of this group of patients. The baseline data reveal the presence of 2 age peaks and provide important insights into the severity of disease in children with suspected myocarditis. In the future, MYKKE might facilitate interventional substudies by providing an established collaborating network using common diagnostic approaches.