Can viruses associated with viral cardiomyopathy be transmitted through seman or saliva?
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Dear Joan, thank you for your question. This is a tough question to answer because there has not been any specific research done on the transmission of viruses that can cause cardiomyopathies. First, dilated cardiomyopathy (not caused by heart attacks or coronary artery disease) has a variety of etiologies (medications, alcohol, immune system disorders, unknown, and viral infections). There are certain viruses that have been associated with cardiomyopathies including coxackie viruses, but this is usually a diagnosis of exclusion. Most commonly, viral infections are diagnosed from biopsies of the heart muscle but there is not a true cause and effect relationship that has been established for viruses - there is just an association. Second, epidemiologic studies have not shown an increased incidence of cardiomyopathy in relatives, spouses, or close contacts of patients with cardiomyopathies. Thus, we do not recommend that specific measures be taken to isolate someone who has a cardiomyopathy. Finally, there is no available evidence that viruses that cause cardiomyopathies are transmitted through semen and saliva.
I hope this information is useful. Information provided in the heart forum is for general purposes only. Only your physician can provided specific diagnoses and therapies. Feel free to write back with further questions. Good luck! If you would like to make an appointment at the Cleveland Clinic Heart Center, please call 1-800-CCF-CARE or inquire online by using the Heart Center website at www.ccf.org/heartcenter. The Heart Center website contains a directory of the cardiology staff that can be used to select the physician best suited to address your cardiac problem.
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