When your body’s defense system turns on itself, it can start attacking your heart—that’s autoimmune heart disease, a condition where the immune system mistakenly targets heart tissue, leading to inflammation and damage. Also known as autoimmune myocarditis, it’s not just rare—it’s often missed because symptoms look like a bad flu or stress. This isn’t about aging or poor diet alone. It’s your own immune cells confusing heart muscle for a virus or foreign invader.
This kind of heart damage often shows up as myocarditis, inflammation of the heart muscle that weakens pumping ability and can cause irregular heartbeats, or pericarditis, swelling of the sac around the heart that brings sharp chest pain when breathing. People with lupus, rheumatoid arthritis, or even long COVID are at higher risk. The immune system doesn’t just attack joints or skin—it can go after the heart without warning.
Many patients think their fatigue and chest tightness are just stress or overwork. But if you’ve had a recent infection, unexplained heart palpitations, or swelling in your legs and you’re under 50, it’s worth asking about autoimmune causes. Blood tests can spot inflammation markers, and an MRI can show heart tissue damage before it becomes life-threatening. Treatment isn’t always about pills—it’s about calming the immune system with steroids, IVIG, or even immunosuppressants. Some cases improve on their own. Others need long-term management.
The posts below cover real-world cases where heart rhythm problems, drug interactions, and inflammation connect to autoimmune triggers. You’ll find guides on how certain medications can worsen heart inflammation, what symptoms to never ignore, and how to tell if your heart issue is tied to something deeper than just aging. These aren’t theory pieces—they’re practical, tested insights from people who’ve been there.
