Following acute viral myocarditis, subjects who are not genetically predisposed to autoimmunity develop a self-limited disease and recover completely. By contrast, in individuals with a genetic predisposition to autoimmunity, a viral infection may initiate a chronic autoimmune myocarditis leading to dilated cardiomyopathy.
Data from Caforio ALP, Baboonian C, McKenna WJ. Eur Heart J 1997; 18:1053.