Contractile myocardial function in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and rheumatoid arthritis
Men'shikova, I.V.; Churganova, L.I.; Kapeliovich, M.R.
Klinicheskaia Meditsina 69(3): 42-44
1991
ISSN/ISBN: 0023-2149 PMID: 2067333 Document Number: 384953
An attempt was made to combine loading and echography to evaluate myocardial contractility. Forty-two patients (15-35-yr-old) were examined. It was found that echocardiography combined with transesophageal cardiac electrical stimulation can serve as an adequate loading test in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus [SLE] and rheumatoid arthritis [RA]. This test can be used to reveal latent disturbances of myocardial contractility in patients with normal contractility indices at rest. Decreased myocardial contractility was observed in RA patients with a severe seropositive process accompanied by systemic manifestations and renal and intestinal amyloidosis. The most clearly pronounced changes in the myocardial contractility of SLE patients were revealed in cases of acute course of the disease, high activity of the process or due to steroid myocardiodystrophy caused by long-term use of hormones.