title: Myocardial dysfunction in polymyositis.
abstract: Myocardial involvement in polymyositis is occasionally suspected, but symptomatic cardiac dysfunction is rarely reported. Described in the present report is a 48-year-old woman with a two-year history of polymyositis who suddenly developed near fatal ventricular arrhythmia, and a 56-year-old man with a relapsing polymyositis who developed severe systolic dysfunction. These two cases emphasize the importance of systematic cardiac evaluation when the diagnosis of polymyositis is initially made and the necessity of re-evaluating cardiac function, even in the presence of clinical remission and normalization of creatine phosphokinase with treatment.
authors.affiliation: Quebec Heart Institute, Laval Hospital Research Center Ste-Foy, Quebec. duboissenechal@videotron.ca
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sénéchal
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Crête
authors.forename: Christian
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Couture
authors.forename: Poul
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Poirier
mesh_terms: D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000209:etiology* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004719:Endomyocardial Fibrosis / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017285:Polymyositis / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D013318:Stroke Volume; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000209:etiology; D014693:Ventricular Fibrillation / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology