Skip Navigation

This Article
Right arrow Full Text Freely available
Right arrow FREE Full Text (PDF) Freely available
Right arrow E-letters: Submit a response
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrow Request Permissions
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Repetto, A.
Right arrow Articles by Arbustini, E.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow Articles by Repetto, A.
Right arrow Articles by Arbustini, E.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

The European Society of Cardiology

Rescreening of "healthy" relatives of patients with dilated cardiomyopathy identifies subgroups at risk of developing the disease

Alessandra Repettoa, Alessandra Serioa, Michele Pasottia, Alessandra Fontanaa, Alessandra Bertolettia, Laura Scelsia, Giulia Magrinia, Lorenzo Montia, Carlo Campanaa, Stefano Ghioa, Luigi Tavazzia and Eloisa Arbustinib,*

a Cardiology Division, I.R.C.C.S. Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy
b Molecular Cardiology, I.R.C.C.S. Policlinico San Matteo, Pavia, Italy

* Correspondence: Eloisa Arbustini, MD, Molecular Diagnostic, Cardiovascular and Transplant Pathology Laboratory, Transplant Research Area I.R.C.C.S. Policlinico San Matteo, Via Forlanini 16, 27100 Pavia, Italy. Tel.: +39 0382 503829; fax: +39 0382 525866 (E-mail: e.arbustini{at}smatteo.pv.it).

Abstract

OBJECTIVES: To test the diagnostic impact of the non-invasive rescreening of relatives of index patients consecutively diagnosed as having dilated cardiomyopathy.

BACKGROUND: The aim of rescreening asymptomatic healthy relatives of DCM patients is to diagnose newly affected subjects and evaluate the predictive significance of the instrumental abnormalities found at the first screening.

METHODS AND RESULTS: Two hundred and three healthy relatives of 73 consecutive index patients with DCM (18 with familial disease at first screening) underwent rescreening involving a clinical examination, electro- and echocardiography, and biochemical tests a median of 29.3 months after the first screening.

Seven relatives had developed the diagnostic criteria for DCM during the screening–rescreening interval. Of the 24 healthy relatives with left ventricular end-diastolic diameter enlargement and normal function at the first screening, nine had normalised, seven showed persistent enlargement, three had worsened, and five had developed the disease criteria at rescreening. Of the three relatives with atrioventricular block at the first screening, one had developed DCM. Finally, one of the relatives with normal echocardiographic and electrocardiographic results at the first screening, had developed the disease. Three of the newly diagnosed subjects came from families with evidence-based familial DCM, and four from families with what was defined as sporadic DCM at the first screening.

CONCLUSIONS: Medium-term rescreening of the relatives of DCM patients can identify a significant number of newly affected patients (3.5%).

Keywords Dilated cardiomyopathy; Family screening; Rescreening


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?




Disclaimer:
Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.