title: Takayasu myocarditis mediated by cytotoxic T lymphocytes.
abstract: A 15-year-old Japanese man was referred for evaluation of heart failure. Conventional heart failure therapy had little effect, and severe left ventricular dysfunction as well as elevated erythrocyte sedimentation rate persisted. Magnetic resonance angiography showed aortic dilatation with wall thickening characteristic of Takayasu's arteritis. An endomyocardial biopsy specimen revealed infiltration of natural killer cells and gamma delta T lymphocytes, which play major roles in vascular injury of Takayasu's arteritis. Prednisolone administration provided great benefits to cardiac function. These findings suggest that autoimmune cytotoxic mechanisms similar to those in arterial tissue may contribute to cardiac impairment in Takayasu's arteritis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, University of Tokyo Graduate School of Medicine, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo 113-8655.
authors.forename: Norifumi
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Takeda
authors.forename: Toshiyuki
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Takahashi
authors.forename: Yoshinori
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Seko
authors.forename: Koji
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maemura
authors.forename: Hideki
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakasone
authors.forename: Kei
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Sakamoto
authors.forename: Yasunobu
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: Ryozo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Nagai
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D001706:Biopsy; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005938:Glucocorticoids / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006801:Humans; D018810:Magnetic Resonance Angiography; D008297:Male; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000276:immunology*; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology; D011239:Prednisolone / Q000627:therapeutic use; D016176:T-Lymphocyte Subsets / Q000276:immunology*; D013602:T-Lymphocytes, Cytotoxic / Q000276:immunology*; D013625:Takayasu Arteritis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000276:immunology; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed
chemical_list: D005938:Glucocorticoids; D011239:Prednisolone