title: Cardiac involvement in childhood polyarteritis nodosa.
abstract: In this report, we evaluated the cardiac findings of 15 children with polyarteritis nodosa. The age range of the patients was 4-14 years; with a mean of 10 years. All have had systemic involvement of the disease. The most common findings in cardiac evaluation were diminished left ventricular systolic functions and mild mitral and/or tricuspid valve regurgitation. One patient had pericardial thickening with no effusion. One had sinus tachycardia. There were no signs of myocardial infarction or ischemia clinically or electro-cardiographically. In conclusion, we did not find cardiac complications, such as pericarditis or myocardial infarction, to be as frequent as in previous reports. However, even in asymptomatic patients, systolic dysfunction or valvular involvement were common findings in patients with polyarteritis nodosa, which were not reported previously. These findings may be due to the histological changes of the myocardium or atrioventricular valves. Although these were not severe and fatal lesions, long-term follow-up of these patients with echocardiography may help to determine the course of cardiac involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Social Security Hospital of Children, Ankara, Turkey.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Günal
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Kara
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Cakar
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Koçak
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Kahramanyol
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Cetinkaya
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000792:Angiography; D001706:Biopsy; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006349:Heart Valve Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000473:pathology; D008297:Male; D010488:Polyarteritis Nodosa / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy; D012867:Skin / Q000473:pathology; D013610:Tachycardia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D007166:Immunosuppressive Agents