Idiopathic cardiomyopathy in infants

Abstract

Nine cases of cardiomyopathy in infants are described. The early age of occurrence suggests the possibility of an intrauterine onset, and the finding of virus antibodies to a significant titre in 3 of the 4 mothers examined suggests intrauterine viral infection as a possible cause. The degenerative changes which have previously been described in cardiac ganglia are confirmed, but they are also found in control material, and are believed to be associated with cardiac failure rather than be features attributable to virus infection.