An autopsy case of giant cell myocarditis probably due to a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug

An autopsy case of giant cell myocarditis (GCM) in a 74-year-old woman is p resented. She suffered from hepatic dysfunction, skin eruption and dissemin ated intravascular coagulation due to the side-effects of a non-steroidal a nti-inflammatory drug. After admission, heart failure progressed rapidly, a nd the patient died suddenly. At autopsy, her heart was slightly enlarged a nd the heart muscle was thickened with many small whitish nodules. She was diagnosed with GCM because of the infiltration of multinuclear giant cells, histiocytes, eosinophils and lymphocytes into the heart. We did not find a ny similar lesions in any other organs. Giant cell myocarditis, the etiolog y of which is not defined, is a rare disease with unfavorable prognosis. Th is case suggests the possibility of drug-induced GCM.