The possible role of myocardial biopsy in systemic sclerosis
1Department of Nephrology and Rheumatology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Insights
Systemic sclerosis (SSc) heart involvement is often unknown. Myocardial biopsies in SSc patients revealed myocarditis and fibrosis, suggesting biopsies can differentiate SSc heart disease types.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Rheumatology
- Pathology
Background:
- Heart involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) is not well understood.
- Myocardial biopsies are valuable for diagnosing cardiomyopathies like myocarditis.
Abstract:
The histopathological features of heart involvement in systemic sclerosis (SSc) are not widely known. In internal and transplantation medicine, myocardial biopsies are increasingly used to diagnose cardiomyopathies including myocarditis. In two SSc patients presenting with dyspnoea with no evidence of pulmonary involvement, the cause of the compromised heart function was sought by myocardial biopsy. Immunohistological analysis revealed an increased number of CD3+ + T cells indicating myocarditis in one, and increased amounts of fibroblasts in both SSc patients. The authors think that myocardial involvement in SSc should be differentially evaluated and they propose the use of myocardial biopsies as a tool to distinguish between inflammatory and fibrotic forms of heart involvement in SSc patients.
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