[Cardiac anomalies in systemic lupus erythematosus: their prevalence and relation to duration, disease activity and the presence of antiphospholipid antibodies].

We conducted an echocardiographic study to determine the incidence and spectrum of morphologic and functional cardiac abnormalities in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and to relate these findings to the disease activity and duration, and the presence of antiphospholipid (APL) antibodies. Thirty consecutive patients with LES (5 male and 25 female, mean age 37 +/- 11 years) were studied with a clinical cardiovascular examination and M-mode, 2-D Doppler echocardiogram. All patients fulfilled the American Rheumatism Association criteria for diagnosis of SLE.

[Prevention of paroxysmal atrial fibrillation with propafenone after withdrawal of amiodarone because of side effects].

The authors evaluated the efficacy of medium term prophylaxis of atrial fibrillation (AF) with propafenon (P) in 33 symptomatic patients. Consecutive patients were treated with P replacing previous therapy with amiodarone (A) withdrawn on account of adverse side effects occurring on average after 1.8 years' treatment.