Cardiac involvement in polymyositis: a case report and review of the literature

Polymorphism of the cardiac manifestations in dermatomyositis

Cardiac involvement in polymyositis and dermatomyositis usually is asymptomatic and rarely the principal clinical feature at the time of initial presentation. We describe a patient with dermatomyositis who presented with overt acute pericarditis which has not, to our knowledge, been previously reported. Acute pulmonary edema resulting from documented acute myocarditis developed during a second exacerbation. Long-term follow-up failed to demonstrate new cardiac complications during subsequent exacerbations, adding to the known polymorphism of the heart involvement in these systemic disorders.