CYTOKINES AND HEART-DISEASES - AN ATTEMPT OF AN UPDATE

Acute septic cardiomyopathy is - to our present knowledge - the heart disease most strongly interrelated with cytokines. Myocardial depressi on by cytokines is characterized by their pleiotropic actions mediatin g not only impairment of one, but several inotropic cascades. Informat ion concerning the relevance of cytokines in non-septic heart diseases is - a present - scarce: Concepts emerge in cases of myocarditis, hea rt failure and cardiomyopathies, acute coronary syndromes, systemic in flammatory response due to cardiopulmonary bypass, heart transplant re jection and Kawasaki disease. Conclusion: Cytokines are involved in he art diseases.