title: Dilated cardiomyopathy and myocarditis in Kenya: an endomyocardial biopsy study.
abstract: We have studied, by light and electron microscopy, left ventricular endomyocardial biopsy specimens from 18 African patients (14 men) with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy in Nairobi. Nine patients (50%) had evidence of healing myocarditis, that is the presence of a mild inflammatory cell infiltration within the myocardium. Interstitial fibrosis was prominent in five patients (28%) and in all 18 specimens there were hypertrophied muscle fibres. Therefore, half of the patients with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy had histological signs of a previous myocarditis. There was no serological evidence of a previous or recent coxsackie infection or any other common viral infections. It seems probable that the myocarditis was due to an inappropriate immunological reaction to myocardial muscle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, St Mary's Hospital Medical School, London, UK.
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Sanderson
authors.forename: E G
authors.initials: EG
authors.lastname: Olsen
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Gatei
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001706:Biopsy; D002311:Cardiomyopathy, Dilated / Q000473:pathology*; D003906:Developing Countries; D004699:Endocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D007630:Kenya; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008854:Microscopy, Electron; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000473:pathology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000473:pathology