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- Title
High-dose intravenous immunoglobulin in the treatment of acute myocarditis. A case report and review of the literature.
- Authors
Tedeschi, A.; Airaghi, L.; Giannini, S.; Ciceri, L.; Massari, F. M.
- Abstract
A few reports have suggested the beneficial effect of high-dose intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) in the treatment of acute myocarditis and cardiomyopathy. We describe a 49-year-old woman in which acute myocarditis was diagnosed on the basis of clinical and echocardiographic findings. Conventional treatment with captopril and frusemide was administered: intravenous heparin and, subsequently, oral anticoagulants were added because of the appearance of an apical thrombus. On the fifth day of hospitalization, treatment with high-dose (400 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) IVIG was started and prosecuted for 5 days. A dramatic improvement of clinical conditions was observed, with increase of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) from 30% to 75% within 1 week. One year after the diagnosis the patient is in good health, with steady normal LVEF. The rapid recovery, which was immediately subsequent to the administration of high-dose IVIG, suggests that this kind of treatment has been effective in our patient with acute myocarditis.
- Subjects
MYOCARDITIS; IMMUNOGLOBULINS; DIAGNOSIS
- Publication
Journal of Internal Medicine, 2002, Vol 251, Issue 2, p169
- ISSN
0954-6820
- Publication type
journal article
- DOI
10.1046/j.1365-2796.2002.00929.x