A case presentation of patient from northern China with endomyocardial fibrosis.

<bold>Background: </bold>Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a rare condition and a major cause of death in tropical countries. The etiology of EMF remains elusive, and no specific treatment has been developed yet, therefore it carries poor prognosis.<bold>Case Presentation: </bold>An 81-year-old male Chinese patient with a history of long-standing exertional breathlessness, presented with worsening symptoms rapidly evolving to orthopnea. A proper specific treatment was prescribed to the patient in the following days, including diuretics, angiotensin-converting-enzyme inhibitor and beta blockers. The patient died of progressive multiple organ failure.<bold>Conclusion: </bold>Echocardiography is technically limited due to the acoustic shadowing as a result of the calcification. Chest computed tomography is a more accurate diagnostic tool to examine the anatomic distribution and extent of endomyocardial calcification in this rare case. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]