Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0024141 (systemic lupus erythematosus)
 44,322 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is a rare and frequently fatal disorder with no proven treatment. It is a disease of young, predominantly healthy adults. Without transplantation, patients usually die of heart failure and ventricular arrhythmias. Due to the poor prognosis of the condition, prompt recognition and diagnosis are of clinical importance. Approximately 19% of these cases are associated with autoimmune diseases. The present article describes two unique cases of GCM associated with autoimmune diseases not previously reported in the literature - discoid lupus erythematosis and autoimmune hepatitis. A review of the natural history and treatment of GCM is also presented.
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PMID:Novel associations of giant cell myocarditis: two case reports and a review of the literature. 1510 Jul 60

Giant cell myocarditis (GCM) is a rare form of myocarditis with a median survival of less than one year. It has been reported to occur in patients with various underlying autoimmune diseases; however, no cases of GCM have been described in patients with clear evidence of underlying systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The presentation of GCM may mimic that of lupus myocarditis, including an initial response to immunosuppression. Despite initial clinical similarities, lupus myocarditis and GCM are histologically distinct entities with dramatic differences in prognosis. We report herein a patient with a longstanding history of SLE, who presented acutely with myocarditis, responded well to initial immunosuppression and then subsequently died of progressive heart failure that was found to be due to GCM. Endomyocardial biopsy can help define diagnosis and prognosis of lupus patients presenting with myocarditis, and early referral for cardiac transplantation should be considered in patients diagnosed with GCM.
Lupus 2005
PMID:Giant cell myocarditis: a rare cardiovascular manifestation in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus. 1575 23