No abstract

LV involvement was found in 76% of hearts with ARVC, was age dependent and was associated with clinical arrhythmic events, more severe cardiomegaly, inflammatory infiltrates and heart failure. ARVC can no longer be regarded as an isolated disease of the right ventricle.

These results indicate that apoptotic myocardial cell death occurs in arrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia and may contribute to the loss of myocardial cells in this disorder.

A rrhythmogenic right ventricular dysplasia (ARVD), which was first described in 1977, is a poorly understood yet potentially lethal cause of cardiac disease. 1,2 Once thought to be rare, ARVD has been shown to have an incidence of six per 10,000 persons in certain populations. 3 In certain Mediterranean and southern U.S. populations, the incidence is as high as 44 per 10,000 persons. 3 ARVD accounts for 3 to 4 percent of deaths in sports and 5 percent of sudden cardiac deaths in persons younger than 65 years. 4-7 Given the relative frequency of this disorder and its potential for disastrous outcomes, it is important for primary care physicians to be familiar with its presentation, diagnosis, and management.