摘要
Objective: To describe the treatment and long term outcome after immunosuppres sive treatment of children with myocarditis. Methods and results: 114 patients w ith newly diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy were divided into three groups, accor ding to the histological pattern: group A, acute myocarditis; group B, borderlin e myocarditis; and group C, non inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Groups A and B wer e treated with cyclosporine and prednisone in addition to conventional treatment . Survivors of the whole cohort were analysed for 13 year transplant free survi val and assessed for left ventricular function. Event free survival at 13 years was 97 (3)%for group A, 70 (8)%for group B, and 32 (7)%for group C (p< 0.000 1). It was 96 (4)%at one year and 83(5)%at 13 years for the cumulatedmyocardit is group (A and B). Cardiac function recovered completely in 79%of survivors in group A, 64%in group B, and 36%in group C. The rate of complete recovery in t he cumulated group(A and B) was 70%. Conclusions: The high long term survival r ate of this cohort of children with myocarditis is probably due to the effect of short term immunosuppression. This result differs from previously published ser ies of conventionally treated children, whose survival probability at one yearwa s about 60%.
Objective: To describe the treatment and long term outcome after immunosuppres sive treatment of children with myocarditis. Methods and results: 114 patients w ith newly diagnosed dilated cardiomyopathy were divided into three groups, accor ding to the histological pattern: group A, acute myocarditis; group B, borderlin e myocarditis; and group C, non inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Groups A and B wer e treated with cyclosporine and prednisone in addition to conventional treatment . Survivors of the whole cohort were analysed for 13 year transplant free survi val and assessed for left ventricular function. Event free survival at 13 years was 97 (3)%for group A, 70 (8)%for group B, and 32 (7)%for group C (p< 0.000 1). It was 96 (4)%at one year and 83(5)%at 13 years for the cumulatedmyocardit is group (A and B). Cardiac function recovered completely in 79%of survivors in group A, 64%in group B, and 36%in group C. The rate of complete recovery in t he cumulated group(A and B) was 70%. Conclusions: The high long term survival r ate of this cohort of children with myocarditis is probably due to the effect of short term immunosuppression. This result differs from previously published ser ies of conventionally treated children, whose survival probability at one yearwa s about 60%.
