<![CDATA[COVID-19 has been found to affect the cardiovascular system leading to myocardial damage.A study of 41 patients in Wuhan, China, found that 12% of COVID-19 patients experiencedvirus-related acute cardiac damage.Subsequent bigger Chinese studies also found acute cardiacdamage in 7.2% to 27.8% of hospitalized patients. As a chronicsequela, this condition mayresult in cardiomyopathy. We report acase of an adolescent COVID-19 survivor with dilatedcardiomyopathy with no underlying heart disease. A male patient aged 16 years old wasadmitted to our outpatient clinic with the primary symptom of exhaustion and had recoveredfrommild to moderate COVID-19 one month prior to the visit. No previous history of heartdisease was documented. Physical examination showed no abnormalities. Laboratory resultsrevealed substantially elevated NT-proBNP (7705 pg/mL) and D-dimer (1850 ng/mL). ECGpresented normal sinus rhythm with poorR wave progression. Echocardiography revealed allchamber dilatation, eccentric left ventricular hypertrophy, globalhypokinetic, moderate mitralregurgitation, and reduced ejection fraction (22%). We diagnosed the patient with new-onsetdilated cardiomyopathy and began treatment with candesartan, bisoprolol, furosemide,spironolactone, rivaroxaban, and trimetazidine. The recovery was steady at three-monthfollow-up visit. The emergence of new-onset cardiomyopathy in this previously healthyadolescent raisesthepossibility of COVID-19 acting asthe sole cause of myocardial injuryin theabsence of underlying heart disease. To avoid further complications, comprehensive evaluationand effective therapy should be implemented during hospitalization and post-discharge.Additional tests such as cardiac magnetic resonance imaging and endomyocardial biopsiesshouldbe performed to support final proof. DOI : 10.35990/amhs.v1n2.p88-96]]>
