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Association of varicella, myocarditis, and congestive cardiomyopathy

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Summary

A retrospective study of children dying with active varicella revealed 11 of 17 cases who had unsuspected interstitial myocarditis at the time of their death.

In addition, a prospective study of 6 children, consecutively admitted to the hospital with active varicella, were evaluated for evidence of cardiac dysfunction by echocardiography, ECG, and serum enzyme levels. All 6 children had Reye's syndrome in association with active varicella. Evidence of myocardial involvement, consistent with acute congestive cardiomyopathy, was documented in 4 of the 6 children.

This study suggests that the heart is commonly involved in varicella infections and that cardiac involvement should be considered in children with this disease.

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This work was supported in part by the Dwan Family Fund and by Grant HL18204 from the National Institutes of Health, and was part of the Ray C. Anderson Symposium.

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Noren, G.R., Tobin, J.D., Staley, N.A. et al. Association of varicella, myocarditis, and congestive cardiomyopathy. Pediatr Cardiol 3, 53–57 (1982). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF02082333

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