[Myocarditis in children affected by dengue hemorrhagic fever in a teaching hospital in Colombia].

Objective: To determining myocarditis frequency in children suffering from DHF in the Huila region of Colombia.

Methods: This was a descriptive and prospective study which was carried out between March 2005 and October 2005 involving 102 patients suffering from DHF, based on WHO criteria. These children were followed-up to identify signs of myocarditis.

Heart and skeletal muscle are targets of dengue virus infection.

Background: Dengue fever is one of the most significant re-emerging tropical diseases, despite our expanding knowledge of the disease, viral tropism is still not known to target heart tissues or muscle.

Methods: A prospective pediatric clinical cohort of 102 dengue hemorrhagic fever patients from Colombia, South America, was followed for 1 year. Clinical diagnosis of myocarditis was routinely performed.