title: Sudden death due to eosinophilic endomyocardial diseases: three case reports.
abstract: Eosinophils are associated with various disorders, such as allergic or hypersensitivity reactions, parasitic diseases, connective tissue diseases, certain neoplastic diseases (Hodgkin's disease, lymphomas, and carcinomas), and various immune deficiency states. Eosinophils can infiltrate any tissue and can cause tissue damage. Heart, has been demonstrated to be the most extensively involved and toxicity of eosinophils is well-established on cardiac tissue. We describe 3 cases with extensive eosinophilic infiltration without endomyocardial fibrosis. All patients died after a short clinical course with rapidly progressive heart failure. Bronchial asthma, hydatid disease and drug reaction were considered as possible etiologies of eosinophilia in case 1 and case 2. Case 3 was considered to fall into the "idiopathic hypereosinophilic syndrome" in which no underlying causes for eosinophilia could be identified.
authors.affiliation: Ministry of Justice, Council of Forensic Medicine, Istanbul, Turkey. arzu_turantr@yahoo.com
authors.forename: Arzu Akcay
authors.initials: AA
authors.lastname: Turan
authors.forename: Ferah
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Karayel
authors.forename: Elif U
authors.initials: EU
authors.lastname: Akyildiz
authors.forename: Taskin
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Ozdes
authors.forename: Eyyup
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Yilmaz
authors.forename: Isil
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Pakis
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001167:Arteritis / Q000209:etiology / Q000473:pathology; D001249:Asthma / Q000150:complications; D004342:Drug Hypersensitivity / Q000150:complications; D004444:Echinococcosis, Hepatic / Q000473:pathology; D004802:Eosinophilia / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D049429:Forensic Pathology; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000473:pathology*; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D032342:Muscle Cells / Q000473:pathology; D009206:Myocardium / Q000473:pathology*; D009336:Necrosis; D010406:Penicillins / Q000009:adverse effects
chemical_list: D010406:Penicillins