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High-output cardiac failure as a presenting symptom of plasma cell leukemia
Israel Journal of Medical Sciences
|August 1, 1985
Insights
High-output cardiac failure was successfully treated by chemotherapy for plasma-cell leukemia. This case report highlights a previously unrecognized association between cardiac failure and plasma-cell leukemia.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Hematology
- Oncology
Background:
- High-output cardiac failure presents a diagnostic challenge when the etiology is unclear.
- Standard treatments for cardiac failure may be ineffective if the underlying cause is not addressed.
Observation:
- A patient with plasma-cell leukemia presented with unexplained high-output cardiac failure.
- The patient did not respond to conventional therapies for cardiac failure, including diuretics and thiamine.
Findings:
- Chemotherapy targeting plasma-cell leukemia led to the complete resolution of the patient's cardiac failure.
- This suggests a direct causal link between plasma-cell leukemia and high-output cardiac failure.
Implications:
- This case suggests a novel association between plasma-cell leukemia and cardiac dysfunction.
- Further research is warranted to understand the pathophysiology of leukemia-induced cardiac failure.
- Oncologists and cardiologists should consider plasma-cell leukemia in patients with refractory high-output cardiac failure.
Abstract:
A patient presented with high-output cardiac failure and was found to have plasma-cell leukemia. No cause for the cardiac failure was found, and there was no response to treatment with diuretics and thiamine. Chemotherapy for the leukemia resulted in resolution of the cardiac failure, suggesting that the latter was caused by the leukemia--a hitherto unreported association.