title: Cardiac dysrhythmias in children with idiopathic dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
abstract: To assess the incidence and prognostic significance of cardiac dysrhythmias in children with idiopathic dilated or hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, the clinical course of 59 patients was retrospectively reviewed over a period of 27 years. Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) was diagnosed in 28 patients and hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) in 31 patients. The mean age at the time of diagnosis was 2.8 +/- 0.7 years in DCM patients and 6.7 +/- 0.8 years in HCM patients. Mean follow-up time after diagnosis of cardiomyopathy was 4.1 +/- 1.0 years in DCM patients and 6.6 +/- 0.8 years in HCM patients. Clinically significant cardiac dysrhythmias were found in 17 of 59 patients (29%): 7 of 28 patients (25%) with DCM and 10 of 31 patients (32%) with HCM. The initial diagnosis of a cardiac dysrhythmia was made by standard electrocardiography in 12 of 17 patients (71%) and by 24-hour Holter monitoring in 5 of 17 patients (29%). Ventricular dysrhythmias were present in 5 of 7 patients with dilated cardiomyopathy and in 5 of 10 patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. During the followup time, death occurred in 18 of 59 patients (31%): 8 of 59 patients (14%) died from congestive heart failure and 10 of 59 patients (17%) died suddenly. Among the sudden deaths were 4 of 28 patients (14%) with dilated cardiomyopathy and 6 of 31 patients (19%) with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. Cardiac dysrhythmias had been documented in 6 of the 10 patients dying suddenly (3 of 4 patients with DCM and 3 of 6 patients with HCM).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Abteilung Kinderkardiologie, Universitätskinderklinik, Heidelberg, Germany.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Müller
authors.forename: H E
authors.initials: HE
authors.lastname: Ulmer
authors.forename: K J
authors.initials: KJ
authors.lastname: Hagel
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Wolf
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000151:congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005117:Cardiac Complexes, Premature / Q000151:congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000151:congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002312:Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic / Q000151:congenital / Q000401:mortality / Q000503:physiopathology*; D002423:Cause of Death; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D016757:Death, Sudden, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D015716:Electrocardiography, Ambulatory; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006329:Heart Conduction System / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000209:etiology; D015996:Survival Rate