Polymyositis Complicated with Complete Atrioventricular Block

Abstract

A 35-year-old woman, diagnosed with polymyositis about 5 years before was admitted to the authors' clinics with syncope attack due to complete atrioventricular (AV) block. Progression of left bundle branch block to complete AV block despite all immune-suppressive treatment, and rarity of this complication in patients with polymyositis prompted the authors to report this case.

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Oppenheim H. : Zur Dermatomyositis. Berl Klin Wochenschr 36:805-807, 1899.

Diessner GR , Howard FM Jr , Winkelmann RK , et al: Laboratory tests in polymyositis. Arch Intern Med 117:757-763, 1966.

Bohan A. , Peter JB , Bowman RL , et al: A computer-assisted analysis of 153 patients with polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Medicine 56:255-286, 1977.

Denbow CE , Lie JT , Tancredi RG , et al: Cardiac involvement in polymyositis. A clinicopathologic study of 20 autopsied patients. Arthritis Rheum 22:1088-1092, 1979.

Gottdiener JS , Sherber HS , Hawley RJ , et al: Cardiac manifestations in polymyositis . Am J Cardiol 41:1141-1149, 1978 .

Callen JP : Dermatomyositis. Int J Dermatol 18:423-433, 1979.

Sheard C. : Dermatomyositis. Arch Intern Med 88:640-682, 1951.

Hill DL , Barrows HS : Identical skeletal and cardiac muscle involvement in a case of fatal polymyositis . Arch Neurol 19:545-551, 1968.

Schaumburg HH , Nielsen SL , Yurchak PM : Heart block in polymyositis . N Engl J Med 284:480-481, 1971.

10.

Fernandez-Herlihy L.: Heart block in polymyositis. N Engl J Med 284:1101, 1971.

11.

Lynch PG : Cardiac involvement in chronic polymyositis. Br Heart J 33:416-419, 1971.

12.

Lightfoot PR , Bharati S. , Lev M. : Chronic dermatomyositis with intermittent three fascicular block. An electrophysiologic-conduction system correlation. Chest 71:413-446, 1977.

13.

Reid JM , Murdoch R. : Polymyositis and complete heart block. Br Heart J 4:628-630, 1979.

14.

Bohan A. , Peter JB : Polymyositis and dermatomyositis. Part 1 N Engl J Med 292:344-347, 1975.

15.

Taylor AJ , Wortham DC , Burge JR , et al: The heart in polymyositis: A prospective evaluation in 26 patients . Clin Cardiol 14:373-379, 1993.

16.

Brottier L. , Coste P. , Combe J. , et al: Cardiac complications of dermatomyositis . Arch Mal Coeur Vaiss 80:1133-1138, 1987 .

17.

Siguier F. , Binet JP , Godeau P. , et al: Dermatomyosite compliquee de bloc auriculo-ventriculaire complet avec syndrome d'Adams-Stokes: Implanation d'un stimulateur interne. Bull Soc Med Hop Paris 113: 1126-1132, 1962 .

18.

Jensen G. , Sigurd B. , Meiborn J. , et al: Adams-Stokes syndrome caused by paroxysmal third-degree A-V block. Br Heart J 35:516-520, 1973.

19.

Haupt HM , Hutchins GM : The heart and cardiac conduction system in polymyositis dermatomyositis: A clinicopathologic study of 16 autopsied patients. Am J Cardiol 50:998-1006, 1982.