How RSA Can Help With Symptoms Of Myocarditis And Pericarditis
Effect of exercising your RSA on Myocarditis and Pericarditis
Importance of heart health
Incidences of Myocarditis and Pericarditis are increasingly being reported all over the world. These are two diseases of the cardiovascular system that can significantly compromise the working of the heart. Working to save yourself from the severity of symptoms of these diseases can come with a better prognosis and a lot of mental peace.
It is a known fact that the body starts breaking down after the age of 25. Therefore, being fit and healthy is vital to save from any significant health issues. However, it is only after reaching 40 that all the unhealthy habits start to cause damage inside, especially the cardiovascular system, which includes the heart and the blood vessels.
There are also some heart diseases that one can acquire that also significantly compromise the function of the heart. These diseases include; myocarditis and pericarditis.
What is the difference between Myocarditis and Pericarditis? What are the symptoms?
There are many diseases of the heart, and two of them are Myocarditis and Pericarditis. Both are inflammatory conditions but affect different areas of the heart.
Myocarditis is the inflammation of the heart tissue and is due to viral infections or can be due to some drug interactions. The symptoms seen in a person suffering from myocarditis are as follows;
- Mild to moderate chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Fever
- Muscle pain
- Fatigue
- Loss of consciousness [3]
The later complications of myocarditis result in dilated cardiomyopathy, a severe condition in which tissue perfusion is compromised and can also result in death.
On the other hand, pericarditis is the inflammation of the pericardial sac of the heart. The pericardium is a thin covering over the heart tissue that provides a cushioning effect as fluid is in that layer.
Pericarditis occurs due to viral (coxsackieviruses, echovirus, adenoviruses, parvovirus, etc.), bacterial infections, or trauma. The symptoms seen in a person suffering from pericarditis are as follows;
- Severe pain in the chest that gets worsened on inspiration
- Shortness of breath
- It is positional, and hence the pain gets better when sitting up
- Cough
- Fever of low grade
- Palpitations [4]
The profession of pericarditis leads to compression of the heart walls due to constant irritation of the pericardial walls. This also significantly compromises heart function and the perfusion of cells.
The following passage discusses how exercising Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia (RSA) can improve the outcome of Myocarditis and Pericarditis.
What is RSA?
To understand the role of the RSA response on the prognosis of cardiac diseases, it is essential to know what RSA is.
RSA stands for Respiratory Sinus Arrhythmia. It is a term which defines the normal physiology of the heartbeat during the course of respiration. It has been seen that during inspiration the heart tends to beat faster as compared to expiration, where the heart tends to beat slower. The patterns of respiration directly activate the parasympathetic system which brings about these changes.
It was researched that the changes in the heart’s pace due to the RSA response contributed significantly to heart health.
According to the Journal of Physiology, RSA is described as;
‘A contributor to heart rate variability is respiratory sinus arrhythmia or RSA – an intrinsic respiratory modulated heart rate pacing. The loss of RSA is associated with poor cardiac prognosis and sudden cardiac death.’ [1]
The above description mentioned the effects of RSA on heart health is evidence that it helps improve ventilation and perfusion of the tissues. RSA directly reflects the relationship between the cardiorespiratory system. Moreover, the absence of it is a marker for cardiac health in decline.
The pattern of RSA saves both the heart and the respiratory system by slowing the heart and inhibiting unnecessary heartbeats during expiration. [2]
How does RSA influence the prognosis of Myocarditis and Pericarditis?
According to the above passage, it has been seen that RSA is a healthy component of the body which shows the coordination of the cardiac and respiratory systems. Therefore, individuals who correct their pattern of breathing are more likely to have a typical and efficient RSA pattern that helps nullify the effects of pericarditis or myocarditis as it improves cardiac output and prevents the heart from failing. Therefore, patients who suffer from myocarditis or pericarditis have a better prognosis if they breathed more effectively.
References
- O’Callaghan EL, Lataro RM, Roloff EL, Chauhan AS, Salgado HC, Duncan E, Nogaret A, Paton JF. Enhancing respiratory sinus arrhythmia increases cardiac output in rats with left ventricular dysfunction. The Journal of physiology. 2020 Feb;598(3):455-71.
- Hayano J, Yasuma F. Hypothesis: respiratory sinus arrhythmia is an intrinsic resting function of the cardiopulmonary system. Cardiovascular research. 2003 Apr 1;58(1):1-9.
- Cooper Jr LT. Myocarditis. New England Journal of Medicine. 2009 Apr 9;360(15):1526-38.
- Dababneh E, Siddique MS. Pericarditis.