Adriana Reptová, Viera, Kasperová, Juraj Papinčák
Connective tissue diseases are associated with chronic inflammatory noninfectious impairment of connective tissues due to autoimmune disorder. They may affect all organs and systems. In the past the major causes of mortality were renal failure and infectious diseases, improving the therapy the life of patients is being prolonged and cardiovascular complications are one of the major reasons of morbidity and mortality in present. Cardiac involvement varies from subclinical diseases to serious, lifethreatening manifestation. Various regions of the heart including pericardium, myocardium, endocardium, coronary arteries, conduction system can be involved, therefore the cardiac symptoms may be various. Cardiac involvement may arise at the beginning of disease, in the course of the disease, cardiac symptoms may precede manifestation of the systemic disease, or heart damage is due to underlying therapy. We present basic review of cardiac manifestation of the systemic diseases.