Systemic sclerosis presented as congestive heart failure: an autopsy case

Mod Rheumatol. 2011 Aug;21(4):423-7. doi: 10.1007/s10165-011-0413-z. Epub 2011 Jan 25.

Abstract

We report the autopsy results of a patient with systemic sclerosis with myositis lesions in the skeletal muscles and myocardium. A 69-year-old Japanese woman developed congestive heart failure and died due to respiratory failure with restrictive hypoventilation. The heart at autopsy showed dilated ventricular hypertrophy, and histopathology of the heart exhibited diffuse replacement fibrosis resembling the lesion of ischemic heart diseases in addition to patchy fibrosis around myocardial fibers suggesting post-myocarditis-like fibrosis.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Autopsy
  • Fatal Outcome
  • Female
  • Heart Failure / diagnosis*
  • Heart Failure / pathology
  • Humans
  • Immunohistochemistry
  • Myositis / diagnosis
  • Myositis / pathology
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / diagnosis
  • Respiratory Insufficiency / mortality
  • Scleroderma, Systemic / diagnosis*
  • Scleroderma, Systemic / pathology