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. 2001 Jan;85(1):e2. doi: 10.1136/heart.85.1.e2

Varicella myocarditis in an adult

P Alter, W Grimm, B Maisch
PMCID: PMC1729589  PMID: 11119480

Abstract

A 24 year old male with varicella myocarditis was admitted with chest pain and fever up to 39°C. The ECG showed J point and ST elevation in leads V2-V4, and inverted T waves in leads V5 and V6. Creatine kinase (CK) was raised to 435 U/l (CK-MB 36 U/l), troponin I was 63.4 µg/l, and lactate dehydrogenase was 359 U/l, suggesting cardiac involvement of varicella infection. The left ventricle was dilated (58 mm) and left ventricular ejection fraction was globally reduced (ejection fraction 45%). Myocarditis was confirmed by endomyocardial biopsy. The patient was treated with specific varicella hyperimmunoglobulins, aciclovir, and a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug. During two months follow up the patient recovered completely. This case report is a reminder that a varicella infection can cause myocarditis in adults. Early diagnosis and appropriate treatment of this rare form of myocarditis may lead to complete recovery.


Keywords: myocarditis; varicella zoster; endomyocardial biopsy

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Figure 1  .

Figure 1  

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Immunostaining for CD T200 lymphocytes.

Selected References

These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.

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