Cardiovascular involvement in Pediatric Systemic Autoimmune Diseases. The emerging role of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging.

Cardiovascular involvement in Pediatric Systemic Autoimmune Diseases. The emerging role of noninvasive cardiovascular imaging.
Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets. 2015 Mar 17;
Authors: Mavrogeni S, Servos G, Smerla R, Markousis-Mavrogenis G, Kolovou G, Papadopoulos G
Abstract
Cardiac involvement in pediatric systemic autoimmune diseases has a wide spectrum of presentation ranging from asymptomatic to severe clinically overt involvement. Coronary artery disease, pericardial, myocardial, valvular and rythm disturbances are the most common causes of heart lesion in pediatric systemic autoimmune diseases and cannot be explained only by the traditional cardiovascular risk factors. Therefore, chronic inflammation has been considered as an additive causative factor of cardiac disease in these patients. Rheumatic fever, juvenile idiopathic arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus, ankylosing spondylitis/spondyloarthritides, juvenile scleroderma, juvenile dermatomyositis/polymyositis, Kawasaki disease and other autoimmune vasculitides are the commonest pediatric systemic autoimmune diseases with heart involvement. Noninvasive cardiovascular imaging is an absolutely necessary adjunct to the clinical evaluation of these patients. Echocardiography is the cornerstone of this assessment, due to excellent acoustic window in children, lack of radiation, low cost and high availability. However, it cannot detect disease acuity and pathophysiologic background...

Source: Inflammation and Allergy Drug Targets - March 17, 2015 Category: Allergy & Immunology Authors: Mavrogeni S, Servos G, Smerla R, Markousis-Mavrogenis G, Kolovou G, Papadopoulos G Tags: Inflamm Allergy Drug Targets Source Type: research