We present a case of a 9-year-old boy with nemaline myopathy and dilated cardiomyopathy. The combination of nemaline myopathy and cardiomyopathy is rare, and this is the first reported case of dilated cardiomyopathy associated with childhood-onset nemaline myopathy. A novel mutation, p.W358C, in ACTA1 was detected in this patient. An unusual feature of this case was that the patient's cardiac failure developed during early childhood with no delay of gross motor milestones. The use of a β-blocker did not improve his clinical course, and the patient died 6 months after diagnosis of dilated cardiomyopathy. Congenital nonprogressive nemaline myopathy is not necessarily a benign disorder: deterioration can occur early in the course of dilated cardiomyopathy with neuromuscular disease, and careful clinical evaluation is therefore necessary.
Keywords: ACTA1; childhood onset; dilated cardiomyopathy; nemaline myopathy; neuromuscular diseases; school-aged child.