Hydroxychloroquine-induced cardiomyopathy and heart failure in twins

Hang Zhao; Joyce Wald; Michael Palmer; Yuchi Han

doi:10.21037/jtd.2017.12.66

Hydroxychloroquine-induced cardiomyopathy and heart failure in twins

J Thorac Dis. 2018 Jan;10(1):E70-E73. doi: 10.21037/jtd.2017.12.66.

Authors

Hang Zhao^{1

2}, Joyce Wald¹, Michael Palmer³, Yuchi Han¹

Affiliations

¹ Cardiovascular Division, Department of Medicine, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
² Department of Cardiology, Renji Hospital, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
³ Department of Pathology, Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.

Abstract

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ)-induced cardiomyopathy is one of the rare but severe complications following prolonged HCQ use. However, the exact mechanism of HCQ cardiotoxicity remains unclear and it is difficult to identify risk factors. We present a case of twin sisters who both suffered from systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and HCQ-induced cardiomyopathy presenting with decompensated heart failure (HF), suggesting that genetic predisposition might be a factor in HCQ-induced cardiomyopathy.

Keywords: Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ); cardiomyopathy; heart failure (HF); twins.

Publication types

Case Reports