TITLE:
Isolated Hyperacute T-Waves in West Nile Encephalitis Indicating Atypical Variant of Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy
AUTHORS:
Soomal Rafique, Nadeem Khan, Momin Siddique
KEYWORDS:
West Nile Virus encephalitis, WNV, Hyperacute T-Waves, Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy, Atypical/Inverted Variant of Stress-Induced Cardiomyopathy, CMP
JOURNAL NAME:
Journal of Biosciences and Medicines,
Vol.12 No.2,
February
26,
2024
ABSTRACT: Several cardiac outcomes have been reported with West Nile-encephalitis; however, the underlying pathophysiology remains complex. We present a 42-year-old female, with multiple sclerosis, whose neurological symptoms and respiratory decline were finally explained by the diagnosis of West Nile-encephalitis. During her admission, the isolated peaked T-waves indicated the underlying stress-induced cardiomyopathy. The absence of all other causes of hyperacute T-waves, their subsequent resolution with the resolution of infection and improvement in wall motion abnormalities, further supported the association. This case highlights the importance of considering hyperacute T-waves in an approach towards the diagnosis of WNV-encephalitis related atypical variant of stress-induced cardiomyopathy.