Myocarditis in early childhood. two years' experience at the pediatric cardiology unit at the S. João Hospital
Nunes, T.; Vaz, T.; Monterroso, J.; Ferreira, G.; Granado, I.; Cunha, D.L.; Santos, N.T.
Revista Portuguesa de Cardiologia Orgao Oficial da Sociedade Portuguesa de Cardiologia 10(6): 511-516
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0870-2551 PMID: 1931111 Document Number: 383475
The authors studied 14 children with myocarditis in order to correlate clinical and laboratorial data with evolution. Retrospective study of all cases with myocarditis admitted during a 2 year period. Unidade de Cardiologia Pediátrica do HSJ. 14 patients, aged 7 to 34 months, with the diagnosis of myocarditis on the ground of biopsy or necropsy findings. The clinical data analysed were: medical history, physical examinations, hematological and biochemical studies, chest X ray, electro and echocardiogram, virus and immunological studies and cardiac catheterization. All the patients had congestive heart failure and 10 had a history of a previous viral infection. Those who survived the first week were submitted to hematological and biochemical studies, chest X Ray, electrocardiogram, echocardiogram, virological and immunological studies and cardiac catheterization. All patients were treated with captopril and furosemide, 11 received dobutamine and 6 an immunosuppressive regime. Six patients died in the first week and one, nine months after diagnosis. One patient had an unfavourable course and the other six improved clinically. The authors were not able to find any correlation between laboratorial data and the disease outcome. Age less than one year and an abrupt onset were associated with 100% mortality. Immunosuppression was associated with improvement in 66% of the patients.