Skip Navigation

European Heart Journal 2003 24(9):855-862; doi:10.1016/S0195-668X(02)00825-4
Copyright © 2003 by the European Society of Cardiology.
This Article
Right arrow Full Text
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in ISI Web of Science
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Search for citing articles in:
ISI Web of Science (7)
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Kamblock, J.
Right arrow Articles by Papouin, G.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Kamblock, J.
Right arrow Articles by Papouin, G.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Regular Articles

Does rheumatic myocarditis really exists? Systematic study with echocardiography and cardiac troponin I blood levels

Joel Kamblocka,*, Laurent Payota, Bernard Iungb, Philippe Costesa, Tristan Gilleta, Christophe Le Goanvica, Philippe Lioneta, Bruno Pagisa, Jerome Paschec, Christine Royd, Alec Vahanianb and Gérard Papouina

a Centre de Cardiologie du Taaone, Pirae, Tahiti, French Polynesia
b Département de Cardiologie, Groupe Hospitalier Bichat-Claude-Bernard, Assistance Publique-Hôpitaux de Paris, Paris, France
c Service de Pédiatrie, Centre Hospitalier Mamao, Tahiti, French Polynesia
d Service de Biochimie, Centre Hospitalier Mamao, Tahiti, French Polynesia

* Corresponding author. Tel.: +689-77-22-77; fax: +689-46-46-17
E-mail address: kamblock{at}mail.pf

Received 18 November 2002; accepted 20 November 2002

Aims Revised guidelines for diagnosis of rheumatic fever indicate that rheumatic myocarditis may ‘contribute’ to the genesis of congestive heart failure. Our objective was to assess non-invasively the presence of non-clinical markers of myocardial involvement in acute rheumatic fever.

Methods Echocardiography and assessment of cardiac troponin I (cTnI) blood levels were systematically performed in 95 consecutive patients with acute rheumatic fever, who were divided into three groups. Group 1: patients without carditis ; group 2: patients with carditis and without congestive heart failure ; group 3: patients with carditis and congestive heart failure .

Results Left ventricular ejection fraction was normal in all patients and did not differ between groups (group 1: 0.72±0.08, group 2: 0.69±0.06, and group 3: 0.66±0.07, ). Left ventricular diameters tend to be larger in group 3, but all patients had severe mitral and/or aortic regurgitation. Mean cTnI was 0.077±0.017ng/ml (normal <0.1ng/ml), did not differ between groups , and only 13 patients (seven with pericardial effusion) had detectable levels (0.2–0.4ng/ml).

Conclusions Our study neither detected cTnI elevations nor echocardiographic abnormalities suggesting significant myocardial involvement during rheumatic fever. Congestive heart failure was always associated to severe valve regurgitation.

Key Words: Troponin • Rheumatic fever • Echocardiography • Myocarditis


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Emerg. Med. J.Home page
A J Turley, B McCarron, and M A de Belder
Acute rheumatic fever mimicking an acute coronary syndrome.
Emerg. Med. J., August 1, 2006; 23(8): e45 - e45.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Journal Watch CardiologyHome page
Elevated TnI Is Uncommon During Acute Rheumatic Fever
Journal Watch Cardiology, August 8, 2003; 2003(808): 6 - 6.
[Full Text]


Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.