[Late cardiac manifestations of Reiter's disease (author's transl)]

Serious cardiac late manifestations were observed in two patients with Reiter's disease 15 and 26 years after the onset of the disease. There is a striking similarity with cardiac involvement in Bechterew's disease. Including cases reported in the literature there is an interval of 4-21 years, average 15 years, between the first conclusive symptoms of Reiter's disease and cardiac late manifestations. These present as isolated aortic valve insufficiency. Valves are not affected due to inflammatory changes but due to dilatation of the valve ring and of the left ventricular outflow channel. In addition, severe disturbances of the atrioventricular conduction are seen localised both in the AV node area and in the distal His-Purkinje fibres. In both observed cases surgical aortic valve replacement became necessary 20-31 years after disease onset. One patient had to have a permanent cardiac pacemaker.