Atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia and changing axis deviation associated with scleroderma

Rhythm disturbances have been described in immunological and connective diseases. Scleroderma is a fibrotic condition characterized by immunological abnormalities, vascular injury and increased accumulation of extracellular matrix proteins. The heart is one of the major organs involved in scleroderma, the involvement of which can be manifested by myocardial disease, conduction system abnormalities, arrhythmias, or pericardial disease. Additionally, scleroderma renal crisis and pulmonary hypertension lead to significant cardiac dysfunction secondary to damage in the kidney and lung. Changing axis deviation has been reported also during atrial fibrillation or atrial flutter. Changing axis deviation has been also reported during acute myocardial infarction associated with atrial fibrillation too or at the end of atrial fibrillation during acute myocardial infarction. We present a case of atrial flutter, ventricular tachycardia and changing axis deviation in a 61-year-old Italian woman with scleroderma. This case focuses attention on changing axis deviation and on the presentation of arrhythmias in scleroderma. The underlying arrhythmogenic mechanisms are probably multiple and intriguing, even though the myocardial fibrosis and immunological autoantibody-mediated mechanisms seem to play a pivotal role.