Skeletal and Cardiac Muscle Involvement in Severe, Late Leptospirosis

Abstract

Information is lacking on the prevalence and severity of cardiac and striated muscle injury in late leptospirosis, and it is unclear whether patients with one type of myositis are at increased risk of developing another. Therefore, 38 patients with severe, late Weil's disease were evaluated for heart and skeletal muscle involvement: 37% had myositis and 39% had abnormal electrocardiograms (ECGs). First-degree atrioventricular heart block and changes suggestive of acute pericarditis were the most common ECG findings. Two patients had transient pericardial friction rubs, but neither pericardial effusion, shock, nor congestive heart failure occurred. Cardiac involvement was not associated with skeletal muscle injury (P = .35), although both manifestations were correlated with severity of disease. Thus, ECG changes and myositis were prominent features of late Weil's disease but cardiac morbidity was not.