Occult etiologies of complete atrioventricular block: Report of two cases

Neeta Bachani1, Gopi Krishna Panicker2, Jaipal Jadwani1

  • 1Holy Family Hospital, Mumbai, India.

Indian Heart Journal
|October 19, 2016
PubMed

Insights

Complete atrioventricular (AV) block often has unknown causes. This study highlights rare cases of AV block due to sarcoidosis and non-Hodgkin

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Electrophysiology
  • Internal Medicine

Background:

  • Complete atrioventricular (AV) block is a critical cardiac condition often attributed to conduction system degeneration or myocardial infarction.
  • Idiopathic or congenital labels are frequently assigned when common causes are absent, based on patient age and QRS duration.

Observation:

  • Two distinct cases of complete AV block were investigated.
  • Patients presented with complete AV block as a primary or isolated feature.

Findings:

  • Case 1: Complete AV block was the sole presenting sign of cardiac sarcoidosis.
  • Case 2: Complete AV block was linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, a rare etiology.

Implications:

  • These findings expand the differential diagnosis for complete AV block beyond common causes.
  • Highlights the importance of considering rare systemic diseases like sarcoidosis and lymphoma in unexplained AV block.
  • Suggests a need for thorough investigation in cases of complete AV block with atypical presentations.

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