Cardiac Complications Caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: Questionnaire Survey and a Literature Review

Hisashi Kawashima; Natsuko Inagaki; Toshihiro Nakayama; Shinichiro Morichi; Shigeo Nishimata; Gaku Yamanaka; Yasuyo Kashiwagi

doi:10.1177/2333794X211044114

Cardiac Complications Caused by Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection: Questionnaire Survey and a Literature Review

Glob Pediatr Health. 2021 Sep 7:8:2333794X211044114. doi: 10.1177/2333794X211044114. eCollection 2021.

Authors

Hisashi Kawashima¹, Natsuko Inagaki², Toshihiro Nakayama¹, Shinichiro Morichi¹, Shigeo Nishimata¹, Gaku Yamanaka¹, Yasuyo Kashiwagi¹

Affiliations

¹ Department of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, Tokyo Medical University, Tokyo, Shinjuku-ku, Japan.
² Department of Clinical Genetic Center, Tokyo Medical University, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo Japan.

Abstract

We investigated 22 cases of patients with myocarditis during respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection by a questionnaire survey, and performed a literature search to clarify their characteristics. The age distribution was divided into 2 groups, that is, 1 group comprised of patients younger than 4-years old and the other comprised patients older than 15 years. ECG demonstrated disturbance of the conduction system (AV block) in 7 out of 18 patients (38.8%), myocardial damage (ST-T change) in 9 out of 18 patients (50.0%), and tachycardia in 3 out of 18 patients (16.6%). Echocardiography displayed a robust decrease in left-heart function in 12 out of 14 patients. The outcome was 2 deaths, 1 pacemaker placement, 4 patients with mild sequel. Our data suggest that RSV myocarditis caused by RSV infection can be divided into 3 different pathophysiologies, characterized by disturbance of the conduction system, myocardial damage, and increase of autonomy.

Keywords: AV block; NT-pro BNP; SIDS; myocardial damage; tachycardia.