| [ Summary ] |
The importance of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infections have been recently noted in patients with cardiomyopathies. HCV-RNA was found in the hearts of patients with cardiomyopathies, and negative strands of HCV-RNA were also detected in the hearts, suggesting that HCV replicates in myocardial tissues. In a collaborative research project by the Committees for the Study of Idiopathic Cardiomyopathy, HCV antibodies were more frequently found in patients with cardiomyopathies than were found in volunteer blood donors in Japan. HCV antibodies were detected in 5.4% seeking care in five academic hospitals. Various cardiac abnormalities were found, arrhythmias being the most frequent. These observations suggest that HCV infections are an important cause of a variety of otherwise unexplained heart diseases. It is likely that antiviral agents such as interferons and ribavirin will be valuable in the treatment of cardiomyopathy due to HCV infection. |