Heart failure is a condition in which the heart is unable to pump enough blood throughout the body. According to Medline Plus, the term heart failure doesn't mean the heart has stopped; it just means the heart isn't able to pump blood normally. Although the major causes of heart failure are diabetes, high blood pressure and coronary heart disease, certain viruses may also disrupt the heart's ability to pump blood throughout the body. According to Medline Plus, coxackie, cytomegalovirus, and the Hepatitis C or other viruses can cause heart failure.
Coxsackie
According to Medline Plus, coxsackie is one of the viruses that can cause heart failure. Coxsackie is a virus that can infect the heart muscles and cause inflammation called myocarditis. When you have an infection, the immune system produces special cells that release certain chemicals into the body to fight the disease. If the infection affects the heart, these cells enter the heart and the chemicals produced by these cells can damage the heart muscle. This means the heart becomes thick, swollen, and weak, causing symptoms of heart failure. Coxsackie viruses are part of an extremely common family of viruses that live in the human digestive tract and are highly contagious. Although they mostly cause the flu in people, they can also cause myocarditis and lead to heart failure.
Cytomegalovirus
Medline Plus says cytomegalovirus is a virus belonging to the herpes virus family that can cause acute cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection. The infection can spread through blood transfusions, respiratory droplets, saliva, sexual contact and urine. It can cause myocarditis, resulting in heart failure.
Hepatitis C and Other Viruses
Medline Plus says hepatitis C, herpes, HIV and parvovirus are some of the viruses that can cause myocarditis, leading to heart failure. According to Patient UK, adenovirus, echoviruses, influenza, glandular fever virus (Epstein-Barr), German measles virus (rubella), chickenpox virus (varicella), mumps, yellow fever and polio viruses can also cause myocarditis.
