Acute Myocarditis in Children: a 10-year Nationwide Study (2007–2016) based on the Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service Database in Korea

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: We performed a nationwide study to assess the incidence, treatment patterns, and outcomes of acute myocarditis in Korean children. METHODS: The nationwide incidence, treatment patterns, and outcomes of acute myocarditis in Korean children were assessed using data between 2007 and 2016 from the Health Insurance Review and Assessment database. RESULTS: We investigated 1,627 children during the study period. The overall incidence of acute myocarditis was 1.4 per 100,000 children in 2007 and 2.1 per 100,000 children in 2016, which indicates a significant increase in the trend over time. A bimodal age distribution was observed with a larger peak in infancy and a smaller peak in the mid-teenage years. No sex difference was observed in the incidence rate of acute myocarditis in children aged ≤5 years (373 boys vs. 366 girls); however, the incidence rate of acute myocarditis in adolescents aged ≥13 years showed significant male preponderance (482 boys vs. 152 girls). Acute fulminant myocarditis occurred in 371 children (22.8%) who needed extracorporeal membrane oxygenation and/or mechanical ventilator support. Of the 371 children with acute fulminant myocarditis, 258 (69.5%) survived. The survival rate of children with acute fulminant myocarditis remained nearly identical over the 10-year study period. CONCLUSIONS: This was the first nationwide epidemiological study to investigate acute myocarditis in Korean children. In our view, this study would help clinicians in decision-making and planning for optimal management of acute myocarditis in children.