Can influenza flu cause gradually myocarditis in several weeks or months later?

Question

Can it happen only to high risk of aging people only?
How many people in US really had acute myocardial infarction from influenza flu annually?

Answer 1

Many types of virus infection can affect several parts of the body, including the heart muscle. So, myocarditis may develop at the same time as, or just after, a viral throat or chest infection, or when you have flu. The body's immune system can clear many types of virus. So, many cases of viral myocarditis go away on their own within a week or so. Viral myocarditis often occurs at the same time as viral pericarditis which is inflammation of the sac-like tissue which surrounds the heart.

Influenza may have an effect by triggering destabilization of already present vulnerable plaques which can cause a myocardial infarction, but I cannot find statistics of how many people this has happened to.

Click these links if you would like more info:
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/myocarditis/DS00521/DSECTION=3
http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=4729
http://www.lifetimetv.com/lifestyle/health/health-a-z/myocarditis
http://www.patient.co.uk/showdoc/27000354/
http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/Topics/Cond/myocard.cfm