Infantile Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy and Bronchopneumonia as Causes of an Unexpected Death in an 11-Month-Old Child

Fetal Pediatr Pathol. 2020 Oct;39(5):452-454. doi: 10.1080/15513815.2019.1655820. Epub 2019 Aug 26.

Abstract

Background: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy is characterized by intrinsic myocardial hypertrophy that is not consequent to hemodynamic stimuli. Infantile hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (<1 year of age) has a frequency of about 3.6 per 1 million children, is usually diagnosed in utero, at birth, or in the first months of life. The most common outcome of this form is heart failure that may result in the death of the child. Case Report: We present an 11-month old infant with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, complicated by terminal bronchopneumonia, without the typical clinical signs/symptoms in which the diagnosis was made only after postmortem examination. Conclusion: The present report depicts that IHCM may present with the unexpected death of an infant.

Keywords: Infantile hypertrophic cardiomyopathy; hearth failure; infant cardiac disease; unexpected death.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Bronchopneumonia*
  • Cardiomyopathy, Hypertrophic* / diagnosis
  • Child
  • Death, Sudden
  • Heart Failure*
  • Hemodynamics
  • Humans
  • Infant