Ioannou Adam, Tsappa Irene, Metaxa Sofia, Missouris Constantinos G
Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.
University of Cyprus Medical School, Nicosia, Cyprus.
Case Rep Cardiol. 2017;2017:1017686. doi: 10.1155/2017/1017686. Epub 2017 Nov 23.
Varicella-zoster virus (VZV) infection can rarely lead to serious cardiac complications and life-threatening arrhythmias. We present a case of a 46-year-old male patient who developed VZV myocarditis and presented with recurrent syncopal episodes followed by a cardiac arrest. He had a further collapse eight years later, and cardiac magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) demonstrated mild mid-wall basal and inferolateral wall fibrosis. He was treated with an implantable cardioverter defibrillator (ICD) and represented two years later with ICD shocks, and interrogation of the device revealed ventricular fibrillation episodes. This case demonstrates the life-threatening long-term sequelae of VZV myocarditis in adults. We suggest that VZV myocarditis should be considered in all patients who present with a syncopal event after VZV infection. In these patients, ICD implantation is a potentially life-saving procedure.
水痘带状疱疹病毒（VZV）感染极少会导致严重的心脏并发症和危及生命的心律失常。我们报告一例46岁男性患者，该患者患VZV心肌炎，出现反复晕厥发作，随后发生心脏骤停。八年后他再次出现病情恶化，心脏磁共振成像（MRI）显示中壁基底段和下侧壁轻度纤维化。他接受了植入式心脏复律除颤器（ICD）治疗，两年后因ICD电击再次就诊，对该装置的问询显示有心室颤动发作。该病例表明成人VZV心肌炎存在危及生命的长期后遗症。我们建议，对于所有在VZV感染后出现晕厥事件的患者，均应考虑VZV心肌炎。对于这些患者，植入ICD是一种可能挽救生命的治疗方法。
