![]() 5, 11, 22, 26, 29, 31īecause myocardial cells cannot regenerate, damaged myocardium is replaced by fibrous tissue, which is noncontractile collagenous tissue. 22, 29 Myocardial fibrosis also has been reported in western lowland gorillas ( Gorilla gorilla gorilla), orangutans ( Pongo pygmaeus), white-handed gibbons ( Hylobates lar), vervets ( Cercopithecus aethiops), rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta), and cynomolgus macaques ( M. 40 SCD with concurrent myocardial fibrosis has not previously been described in chimpanzees but has been reported in other great apes. Myocardial fibrosis has been implicated as a factor in sudden cardiac death (SCD) in humans 18 and can lead to heart failure, defects in conduction, and cardiac arrhythmias. More data will be needed to identify the possible causes of IMF in captive chimpanzees, and IMF may be associated with arrhythmias and SCD in these animals. Histologic examination of the hearts revealed interstitial myocardial fibrosis (IMF) in 29 chimpanzees (81%), and all of the animals that died suddenly due to cardiac causes had IMF to varying degrees. Sudden cardiac death (SCD) occurred in 13 (11 male and 2 female) chimps (36%) and was the leading cause of death (n = 13), followed by renal failure (n = 9) and septicemia (n = 3). ![]() Cardiac arrhythmias (ventricular ectopy) were seen in 15 (12 male and 3 female) of the 36 animals (42%). Systemic hypertension was noted in 3 cases. ![]() Nine of the 36 animals had a complete cardiac evaluation by a board certified veterinary cardiologist, and 7 of the 36 animals (19%) were diagnosed with some form of cardiomyopathy. All animals had annual physical exams that included electrocardiograms and serial blood pressures. The clinical and necropsy records of 36 (25 male and 11 female) chimpanzees age 10 to 40 y old that died over a 6-y period (2001 to 2006) were reviewed.
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