ABSTRACT
Antigens of enteroviruses were detected quantitatively in the modified complement-binding reaction in blood samples from 102 of the 208 (49%) patients with ACS, in coronary artery tissues from 23 of 24 and heart from 51 of 94 (54.3%) patients with MI who died from cardiogenic shock and/or cardiac rupture. The relative level of enterovirus antigen (RLEVA) in the blood of patients with MI complicated and uncomplicated by cardiogenic shock and/or cardiac rupture was 0.42 +/- 0.04 and 0.29 +/- 0.02 arbitrary units respectively (p = 0.032) compared with 0.21 +/- 0.07 in patients with unstable angina (UA) (p = 0.0001). RLEVA in patients with UA was significantly lower than in those with uncomplicated MI (p < 0.011). RLEVA in necrotized myocardial areas after death from cardiogenic shock (0.54 +/- 0.18) and/or cardiac rupture (0.46 +/- 0.15) was higher than outside MI zones (0.30 +/- 0.14 and 0.26 +/- 0.10 respectively) (p < 0.01). RLEVA in coronary vessels feeding the necrotic zones of patients with MI complicated by cardiogenic shock (0.44 +/- 0.18) was higher (p = 0.03) than in the vessel feeding tissues outside the MI zone (0.29 +/- 0.19). It is concluded that enterovirus infection is a factor of ACS; it is directly involved in its pathogenesis and promotes the development of cardiogenic shock and/or cardiac rupture.
