Evaluation of Heart Function and Observation of Clinical Prognosis of Dilated Cardiomyopathy in Children Treated with Different Immunotherapies / 实用儿科临床杂志

ABSTRACT

Objective To compare the heart function and observe the clinical prognosis of dilated cardiomyopathy(DCM) in children treated with combination of prednisone and azathioprine and high dose intravenous immunoglobulin(IVIG).Methods From Jan.1998 to May 2004,20 children who met the diagnostic criteria of DCM were divided into 2 therapeutic groups(groupⅠ,groupⅡ) according to the time of hospitalization.On the basis of traditional congestive heart failure(CHF) therapy,the children in groupⅠwere treated with immunosuppressive therapy(prednisone plus azathioprine) and the children in groupⅡ were treated with high dose IVIG.The course of treatment was 6 months for all children.Heart functions in all children were evaluated and echocardiographic parameters including left auricular diameter(LA),left ventricular end diastolic diameter(LV),left ventricular ejection fraction(LVEF) and cardiac index(CI) were measured before and after therapy,respectively.All children were followed up for 1 year to observe survival rate(%).The findings were analyzed by t test and ?~2 test.Results The percentage of heart function increased from Ⅲ-Ⅳ toⅠ-Ⅱin groupⅠ,which was lower than that in groupⅡ(P