Congestive Cardiomyopathy in Association with the Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome

Infection with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV, or HTLV-III/LAV) results in global immune dysfunction and leads to a breakdown in the ability of the host to mount an immune response, thereby facilitating unremitting infections by predominantly opportunistic pathogens,1 2 3 4 with or without Kaposi's sarcoma. These secondary events result in organ-system damage and in some cases in organ failure. To date, serious organ-system failure has been documented in the pulmonary, gastrointestinal, renal, and central nervous systems.4 5 6 Clinical cardiac involvement has received little attention except as a site of spread of Kaposi's sarcoma.7 , 8 Recently, we observed three fatal cases of the acquired immunodeficiency syndrome . . .