PMID: 9420629Oct 1, 1994Paper

Chronic inflammation in the myocardium of patients with clinically suspected dilated cardiomyopathy

Journal of Cardiac Failure
U KühlH P Schultheiss

Abstract

Dilated cardiomyopathy continues to be an etiologically unknown heart muscle disease. Recent clinical and experimental data have suggested a causal relation to viral myocarditis. The clinical diagnosis, however, is unspecific, and diagnostic yield of the histologic evaluation of endomyocardial biopsies by light microscopy according to the Dallas classification is poor. The authors analyzed the biopsy specimens of 120 patients with suspected dilated cardiomyopathy by immunohistologic methods to obtain a more sensitive and specific identification and quantification of infiltrating lymphocytes, indicating an activated immunologic process within the myocardium. Increased lymphocytic infiltrates and inflammatory endothelial activation were demonstrated in patients with clinically suspected dilated cardiomyopathy. These findings are associated with the often seen progression of ventricular dysfunction. Further studies are necessary to prove whether these immunohistologically positive patients will improve under immunosuppressive therapy.

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Citations

Aug 1, 1996·European Journal of Pediatrics·A HeuschM Bourgeois
Apr 4, 2009·Basic Research in Cardiology·Oliver ZimmermannJan Torzewski
Sep 3, 2005·International Journal of Cardiology·Oliver ZimmermannJan Torzewski
Apr 17, 2002·Forensic Science International : Synergy·Reinhard DettmeyerBurkhard Madea
Jun 27, 2000·Cardiovascular Pathology : the Official Journal of the Society for Cardiovascular Pathology·K M MeursJ A Towbin
Dec 21, 1995·The New England Journal of Medicine·R E Cunnion, J E Parrillo
Jun 10, 1995·Molecular & General Genetics : MGG·M J RobbP J Vierula
May 22, 1998·Medizinische Klinik·H P SchultheissU Kühl
Aug 9, 2021·Heart and Vessels·Keiichi HironoKyoko Imanaka-Yoshida

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