Diffuse fatty infiltration of the heart is a rare condition associated with a number of complications.
Risk factors: diseases associated with severe obesity (type 2 diabetes, HIV lipodystrophy, Cushing's disease, etc)
Features:
(1) diffuse adipose tissue in the myocardium
(2) absence of significant fibrosis
(3) increase in myocardial triglyceride concentration
The fat can be recognized on imaging studies.
Complications:
(1) cardiac arrhythmia with sudden death
(2) diastolic dysfunction
(3) cardiac perforation during cardiac catheterization or pacemaker placement
Differential diagnosis:
(1) cardiac lipoma
(2) lipomatous hypertrophy of the interatrial septum
