Pathology of the Cardiac Conduction System in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

doi:10.1059/0003-4819-63-3-402

Pathology of the Cardiac Conduction System in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus

THOMAS N. JAMES, M.D., F.A.C.P.;
CLARENCE E. RUPE, M.D., F.A.C.P.; and
RAYMOND W. MONTO, M.D., F.A.C.P.

Requests for reprints should be addressed to Thomas N. James, M.D., Henry Ford Hospital,
Detroit, Mich. 48202
.

Excerpt

Cardiac involvement by systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is sometimes manifested by arrhythmias or conduction disturbances. How often the heart is found to be involved depends on how carefully such involvement is sought, but it has recently been suggested that cardiac lesions will develop at some time in nearly all patients with this disease, when life is prolonged by modern antibiotic and steroid therapy (1). Although the documented incidence of arrhythmias or conduction disturbances in SLE is seldom reported to be more than 10% (1-5), one can reasonably suspect that the undocumented paroxysmal disturbances in cardiac electrical mechanisms are considerably more

Summario in Interlingua

Le pathologia del systema de conduction cardiac esseva studiate al necropsia de 8 patientes con disseminate lupus erythematose qui habeva disveloppate arrhythmias o disturbationes del conduction cardiac brevemente ante lor morte. Le anormalitates histologic observate in le nodo sinusal includeva degeneration focal e fibrosis secundari a lesiones occlusive de micre arterias nodal, periarteritis circum le relativemente grande arteria central del nodo sinusal, inflammation nodal per pericarditis, thrombos endocardial infra le nodo, e un degeneration cystic del rete de collageno in le nodo sinusal. Le nodo atrioventricular, a generalmente parlar, esseva lesionate minus extensemente sed etiam manifestava degeneration focal secundari a un pathologia del micre arterias. In plus, illo esseva le sito de inflammation al interfacie inter le nodo e le central corpore fibrose. Disturbationes del rhythmo e del conduction cardiac occurrente in patientes con disseminate lupus erythematose es assi demonstrate como phenomeno associate con vulneration structural in le systema de conduction cardiac.

Article and Author Information

From the Department of Medicine, Henry Ford Hospital, Detroit, Mich.
Supported in part by a grant from the Michigan Heart Association, Detroit, Mich., and grants H-5197 and H-7108, U. S. Public Health Service, Bethesda, Md.
- Received March 12, 1965.
- Accepted May 11, 1965.