Acute myocarditis causing fatal ventricular arrhythmia in treated polymyositis.
A patient with definite polymyositis responded clinically to prednisolone in combination with azathioprine, with improvement in muscle strength and normalization of muscle enzyme levels. After 7 weeks' treatment the patient developed chest pain and fatal ventricular arrhythmias. An autopsy showed inflammatory myocarditis, but marked improvement in the skeletal muscle histology. This case illustrates that myocarditis may be a late complication of polymyositis despite immunosuppressive therapy.
White
P G
PG
Royal National Hospital for Rheumatic Diseases, Bath.
Podgorski
M R
MR
McLeod
T I
TI
Clarke
A K
AK
D000208:Acute Disease; D000368:Aged; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000150:complications*; D009220:Myositis / Q000150:complications* / Q000188:drug therapy