Document Type : Case Report
Authors
1
General Practitioner, Student Research Committee, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
2
Assistant Professor, Department of Pediatric Cardiology, Taleghani Hospital, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran
3
General Practitioner, Zahedan University of Medical Sciences, Zahedan, Iran
4
Student of Medicine, School of Medicine, Tonekabon Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tonekabon, Iran
Abstract
Background: First- and second-degree heart blocks are partly common rhythm disorders in thalassemic patients. However, complete heart block is a very rare complication of iron overload cardiomyopathy. Case Report: A 15-year-old boy with major β-thalassemia was admitted to our emergency unit with dyspnea and cough. The electrocardiogram showed complete heart block with junctional escape rhythm. Interestingly, his previous electrocardiogram that had been taken two months earlier showed some premature ventricular contractions and second degree, Mobitz I (Wenckebach) heart block. After improvement of dyspnea and controlling blood pressure in the normal range, a dual-chamber permanent pacemaker was implanted for the patient. Since his symptoms improved, he was discharged. However, he died 24 days after discharge. Conclusion: We presented a rare case of complete heart block after a second-degree (Mobitz I) heart block that was due to severe iron overload cardiomyopathy. Keywords: Thalassemia, Arrhythmia, Iron overload, Cardiomyopathy
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