Acute reversible cardiomyopathy and heart failure in a child with acute adrenal crisis

Cardiomyopathy Associated With Tertiary Adrenal Insufficiency Manifesting as Refractory Heart Failure, Shock, and Sudden Cardiac Death: A Case Report

Dilated cardiomyopathy is an etiologically heterogeneous disorder. Early diagnosis and prompt treatment of the underlying disease are of great significance. Primary and secondary adrenal insufficiency are considered quite rare causes of dilated cardiomyopathy. However, to the best of our knowledge, no case of cardiomyopathy associated with tertiary adrenal insufficiency has been reported. Herein, we described a 68-year-old woman with a 15-year history of seasonal dermatitis presented with frequent heart failure and shock. At first, she was diagnosed with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, but standard heart failure and antishock treatment failed. Given her long-term use of dexamethasone for treating seasonal dermatitis, and clinical manifestations consistent with adrenal insufficiency, we tested her basal plasma cortisol, simultaneous corticotropin, and other pituitary hormones, confirming that she had tertiary adrenal insufficiency. Additionally, abdominal enhanced computed tomography revealed atrophic bilateral adrenal glands, indicating long-standing and severe adrenal insufficiency. Then hydrocortisone replacement therapy was initiated, and she recovered rapidly. During the next 2 years of follow-up, she never experienced any episodes of heart failure and shock. Unfortunately, she refused the implantation of defibrillator with cardiac resynchronization therapy (CRT-D) and died of sudden cardiac death 2 years later. Although we could not exclude the coincidence of idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy with tertiary adrenal insufficiency with 100% certainty, her unique clinical course strongly indicated that her cardiomyopathy resulted from tertiary adrenal insufficiency. This case demonstrates that patients on corticosteroids are at risk for tertiary adrenal insufficiency, which may result in refractory cardiomyopathy and even sudden cardiac death.

The impact of medical interventions on admission characteristics in children with congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy

INTRODUCTION

Children with congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy are a unique patient population. Different therapies continue to be introduced with large practice variability and questionable outcomes. The purpose of this study is to determine the impact of various medications on intensive care unit length of stay, total length of stay, billed charges, and mortality for admissions with congenital heart disease and cardiomyopathy.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We identified admissions of paediatric patients with cardiomyopathy using the Pediatric Health Information System database. The admissions were then separated into two groups: those with and without inpatient mortality. Univariate analyses were conducted between the groups and the significant variables were entered as independent variables into the regression analyses.

RESULTS

A total of 10,376 admissions were included these analyses. Of these, 904 (8.7%) experienced mortality. Comparing patients who experienced mortality with those who did not, there was increased rate of acute kidney injury with an odds ratio (OR) of 5.0 [95% confidence interval (CI) 4.3 to 5.8, p < 0.01], cardiac arrest with an OR 7.5 (95% CI 6.3 to 9.0, p < 0.01), and heart transplant with an OR 0.3 (95% CI 0.2 to 0.4, p < 0.01). The medical interventions with benefit for all endpoints after multivariate regression analyses in this cohort are methylprednisolone, captopril, enalapril, furosemide, and amlodipine.

CONCLUSIONS

Diuretics, steroids, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, calcium channel blockers, and beta blockers all appear to offer beneficial effects in paediatric cardiomyopathy admission outcomes. Specific agents within each group have varying effects.

Reversible dilated cardiomyopathy as a complication of adrenal cortex insufficiency: a case report

BACKGROUND

Cardiovascular manifestations associated with Addison's disease are previously documented. We described a case of an 11-year-old girl who developed dilated cardiomyopathy as a complication to Addison's disease. Glucocorticoid replacement therapy resulted in near-complete recovery of cardiac function. It is the first reported case of reversible cardiomyopathy as a complication of primary adrenal insufficiency in Syria.

CASE PRESENTATION

An 11-year-old Caucasian girl with no significant past medical history presented with abdominal pain, vomiting after meals, and a low-grade fever. A physical examination and laboratory evaluation suggested primary adrenal insufficiency. An echocardiogram showed changes consistent with dilated cardiomyopathy. Causes of primary adrenal insufficiency other than autoimmune were excluded.

CONCLUSIONS

Dilated cardiomyopathy is a rare complication of primary adrenal insufficiency. Proper treatment of adrenal insufficiency with glucocorticoid replacement therapy resulted in restoration of normal cardiac function.