Acute heart failure due to COVID-19 related myocardial injury and de
novo hypertensive cardiomyopathy: a challenging multi-modality diagnosis
Abstract
We report a COVID19 case with acute heart and kidney failure in a
healthy young male. Echocardiography showed severe systolic and
diastolic left ventricle dysfunction, with diffuse myocardial
thickening. Cardiac MRI showed aspects of focal myocarditis, and
hypertensive cardiomyopathy. Renal biopsy demonstrated limited acute
tubular injury, and hypertensive kidney disease. Coronary angiography
excluded critical stenoses. Unlike what we initially suspected,
myocardial inflammation had a limited extent in our patient; severe
hypertension causing cardiomyopathy and multi-organ damage, not
diagnosed before, was primarily responsible for severe illness. Correct
diagnosis and guidelines-directed treatment allowed a favorable course.