title: [Incidence of myocarditis in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy].
abstract: We performed right ventricular endomyocardial biopsies in 23 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy aged 45 +/- 14 years. All patients had congestive heart failure of unknown etiology dating up to one year before the procedure (57% less than 3 months). NYHA functional class was II in 5, III in 12 and IV in 6 patients. All patients had evidence of systolic dysfunction and a dilated left ventricle (LV diastolic dimension 68 +/- 11 and systolic dimension 55 +/- 11). Definite evidence of myocarditis, based on findings of inflammatory infiltrate and cellular damage, was found in 6 patients (26%), borderline myocarditis in 9 and abnormalities consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy in 8. The incidence of myocarditis here reported is lower than previously figures based on findings of more than 5 lymphocytes per high power field. In this series, clinical and functional aspects of heart failure did not differ in patients with or without evidence of myocarditis.
authors: Servicio de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Facultad de Medicina (División Oriente), Santiago.
authors: R
authors: R
authors: Kauffmann
authors: L
authors: L
authors: Arellano
authors: M V
authors: MV
authors: Hernández
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Florenzano
authors: S
authors: S
authors: Donoso
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D001706:Biopsy; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology; D004699:Endocardium / Q000473:pathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000150:complications* / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D012189:Retrospective Studies
vernacular_title: Incidencia de miocarditis en pacientes con miocardiopatia dilatada.