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Nitric oxide and the pathogenesis of heart muscle disease
Author(s) -
BELDER A. J.,
RADOMSKI M. W.,
MARTIN J. F.,
MONCADA S.
Publication year - 1995
Publication title -
european journal of clinical investigation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.164
H-Index - 107
eISSN - 1365-2362
pISSN - 0014-2972
DOI - 10.1111/j.1365-2362.1995.tb01517.x
Subject(s) - pathogenesis , medicine , myocarditis , nitric oxide , cardiomyopathy , heart disease , heart failure , cardiology , disease , shock (circulatory) , septic shock , cardiac muscle , intensive care medicine , sepsis
The nature of the impaired cardiac performance seen in septic shock, acute myocarditis, dilated cardiomyo‐pathy, heart transplant rejection and immunotherapy cardiomyopathy is not well understood. The current treatment options for these conditions are limited by a lack of understanding of the underlying pathogenesis, and the management of patients with these conditions is centred on the consequences of the myocardial damage rather than the causes. However, recent research has opened new doors to the comprehension of the cellular mechanisms underlying these myocardial disorders, which may lead to more specific treatment. In this review, we present evidence for the hypothesis that myocardial production of nitric oxide (NO) is a final common pathway of several different immunological challenges and accounts for, at least in part, the negative inotropism associated with these heart muscle disorders.