Acute Legionnaires’ Disease–Associated Complete Heart Block

Legionnaires’ disease is a systemic disease caused by Legionella species that predominantly affects the lungs; however, extrapulmonary manifestations including cardiac involvement have been reported. We present a case of a 79-year-old woman who presented with cough, reduced appetite, and syncope and...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Iriagbonse Asemota, Andre Montano, Humayun Naqvi, Janice Koshy, Nilesh Mathuria
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: American College of Physicians 2025-05-01
Series:Annals of Internal Medicine: Clinical Cases
Online Access:https://www.acpjournals.org/doi/10.7326/aimcc.2024.1243
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Summary:Legionnaires’ disease is a systemic disease caused by Legionella species that predominantly affects the lungs; however, extrapulmonary manifestations including cardiac involvement have been reported. We present a case of a 79-year-old woman who presented with cough, reduced appetite, and syncope and was found to be in third-degree atrioventricular block. The patient had a positive urine Legionella antigen with a finding on computed tomography of the chest of bilateral infiltrates. Despite antibiotic therapy, permanent pacemaker was implanted for persistent complete heart block. At 2-week follow-up, however, patient had regained intrinsic conduction. This case highlights Legionnaires’ disease as a potential reversible cause of complete heart block.
ISSN:2767-7664