Polymyositis presenting with cardiac manifestations: Report of two cases and review of the literature

We report two patients with severe cardiac manifestations at the time of the initial presentation of polymyositis. Both cases are unusual in that they presented with predominant cardiac disturbances, associated with muscle weakness. One patient had a typical clinical syndrome of congestive heart failure, and the second mimicked an acute myocardial infarction in which coronary angiography was normal. From our cases, we can emphasize that aside from characteristic symmetrical proximal muscle weakness, the clinical features of polymyositis may also include cardiac complications.