Endomyocardial involvement in asymptomatic Latin American migrants with eosinophilia related to helminth infection: A pilot study.

• Main Authors: Abiu Sempere (Author), Fernando Salvador (Author), Laia Milà (Author), Guillem Casas (Author), Xavier Durà-Miralles (Author), Elena Sulleiro (Author), Rosa Vila-Olives (Author), Pau Bosch-Nicolau (Author), Maria Luisa Aznar (Author), Juan Espinosa-Pereiro (Author), Begoña Treviño (Author), Adrián Sánchez-Montalvá (Author), Núria Serre-Delcor (Author), Inés Oliveira-Souto (Author), Diana Pou (Author), José Rodríguez-Palomares (Author), Israel Molina (Author)
• Format: Book
• Published: Public Library of Science (PLoS), 2024-08-01T00:00:00Z.
• Subjects: article
• Online Access: Connect to this object online.

Summary

<h4>Background</h4>Hypereosinophilic syndrome can produce cardiac involvement and endomyocardial fibrosis, which have a poor prognosis. However, there is limited information regarding cardiac involvement among migrants from Latin America with eosinophilia related to helminthiasis.<h4>Methods</h4>We conducted a pilot observational study where an echocardiography was performed on migrants from Latin America with both eosinophilia (>450 cells/μL) and a diagnosis of helminth infection, and on migrants from Latin America without eosinophilia or helminth infection. Microbiological techniques included a stool microscopic examination using the Ritchie's formalin-ether technique, and a specific serology to detect Strongyloides stercoralis antibodies.<h4>Results</h4>37 participants were included, 20 with eosinophilia and 17 without eosinophilia. Twenty (54.1%) were men with a mean age of 41.3 (SD 14.3) years. Helminthic infections diagnosed in the group with eosinophilia were: 17 cases of S. stercoralis infection, 1 case of hookworm infection, and 2 cases of S. stercoralis and hookworm coinfection. Among participants with eosinophilia, echocardiographic findings revealed a greater right ventricle thickness (p = 0.001) and left atrial area and volume index (p = 0.003 and p = 0.004, respectively), while showing a lower left atrial strain (p = 0.006) and E-wave deceleration time (p = 0.008). An increase was shown in both posterior and anterior mitral leaflet thickness (p = 0.0014 and p = 0.004, respectively) when compared with participants without eosinophilia.<h4>Conclusions</h4>Migrants from Latin America with eosinophilia related to helminthic infections might present incipient echocardiographic alterations suggestive of early diastolic dysfunction, that could be related to eosinophilia-induced changes in the endomyocardium.

Item Description

1935-2727
1935-2735
10.1371/journal.pntd.0012410