A Family History of Dilated Cardiomyopathy Induced by Viral Myocarditis

Abstract

Myocarditis can lead to acute heart failure, cardiogenic shock, or sudden death and later, dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) with chronic heart failure. We report the cases of two DCM induced by acute and past myocarditis in the same family and expressed by its two main complications within few weeks: an hemodynamic presentation as a fulminant myocarditis rapidly leading to cardiac tranplantation and a rythmologic presentation as an electrical storm leading to catheter ablation of ventricular tachycardia. These cases ask the question of the family predisposition to viral myocarditis leading to DCM.

Advancing Precision Medicine in Myocarditis: Current Status and Future Perspectives in Endomyocardial Biopsy-Based Diagnostics and Therapeutic Approaches

“…In the context of viral etiologies of heart disease, a CCR5 gene mutation was found to correlate with spontaneous enteroviral clearance and improved outcomes in DCM or DCMi patients [245]. Isolated twin studies or familial clustering of virus-associated myocarditis or cardiomyopathy have been reported, but definitive proof of genetic predisposition is still lacking [246][247][248]. Most somatic mutations associated with cardiomyopathies cause changes in sarcomeric and cytoskeletal proteins, but also components involved in electrical conductivity and immune signaling.…”

Genetic Basis of Myocarditis: Myth or Reality?

“…Reasons to suspect a genetic susceptibility in infectious myocarditis may derive from twin studies (usually newborn or children) [16][17][18], familial clustering suggesting genetic determinants or predisposing genetic factors [19][20][21], and rare Mendelian diseases [22,23] as well as endemic infections linked to both pathogen and population genetic make-up [24]. The topic must be discussed with caution so as not to transform infectious diseases into genetic ones, especially as the distinction between genetic susceptibility from exclusive environmental factors that might aggregate within families can be difficult.…”

Tachycardia-induced cardiomyopathy: a review of literature on clinical status and meta-analysis of diagnosis and clinical management method

“…Atrial pacing at high rates [30] Ventricular pacing at high rates [32] Extracardiac causes Thyreotoxicosis [78] Glucagonoma [79] Myocarditis [80] prevalence in the older population may be partially caused by difficulties to distinguish the effect of tachycardia alone from that of the underlying heart disease with regard to the systolic ventricular function. Interestingly, elimination of the arrhytmia leads to the restoration of leftventricular function in up to 97% [16].…”