Heart inflammation cited in death of O.C. runner
A high school freshman who collapsed during a 3-mile cross-country race in September died from an inflammation of the heart, the Orange County coroner’s office said Monday.
Megan Myers, 14, died from multifocal myocarditis, said Cullen Ellingburgh, supervising deputy for the county coroner. An autopsy performed the day after Megan’s death was unable to determine the cause.
Dr. Morton Kern, associate chief of cardiology at UCI Medical Center in Orange, said the inflammation, which could have resulted from a virus, appeared to cause an arrhythmia that led the heart’s electric system to malfunction. He said myocarditis affects young people more than older people.
Megan, who attended Dana Hills High in Dana Point, felt faint about two miles into the run against Capistrano Valley High School. She was given liquids in case she was dehydrated. She started to walk but collapsed. She died at Mission Hospital in Mission Viejo about an hour later.
A spokeswoman for Capistrano Unified School District said Megan, of Dana Point, had passed a medical exam before taking part in school sports.
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