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[Secondary recurrent hepatitis in ventricular arrhythmia].
V Roques1, P Perney, Z Joomaye
1Service de médecine interne E, Hôpital Saint Eloi, Montpellier, France.
Presse Medicale (Paris, France : 1983)
|August 1, 2002
Summary
Recurrent liver damage (cytolysis) can be caused by heart rhythm disorders. This case highlights the importance of investigating cardiac issues in unexplained liver injury, even without obvious heart disease symptoms.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hepatology
- Internal Medicine
Background:
- Hepatic cytolysis, characterized by rapid regression and occasional recurrence, is typically attributed to biliary or toxic etiologies.
- Unexplained episodes of liver damage warrant a broad differential diagnosis, extending beyond common hepatic pathologies.
Observation:
- A 44-year-old woman presented with recurrent, rapidly regressing liver cytolysis over four months.
- Extensive workup excluded biliary, viral, metabolic, autoimmune, and toxic causes.
- Intermittent, asymptomatic ventricular tachycardia secondary to arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia was diagnosed via ECG, cardiac scan, and MRI.
Findings:
- Cardiac rhythm disorder was identified as the cause of recurrent hepatic cytolysis.
- Treatment targeting the cardiac rhythm disorder successfully resolved the cytolysis episodes.
- This case establishes a link between paroxysmal cardiac rhythm disturbances and liver injury.
Implications:
- Perturbed cardiac rhythm can lead to ischemic hepatopathy, a mechanism classical but infrequently documented.
- Severe, unexplained cytolysis necessitates a systematic cardiac rhythm disorder investigation, irrespective of apparent cardiopathy.
- This finding broadens the understanding of extra-cardiac manifestations of cardiac arrhythmias.