Cardiac involvement in patients with trichinosis hospitalized in western Romania.
OBJECTIVE
Cardiovascular disturbances are reported as major trichinosis complications, and myocarditis is the most frequent of them. Previous Romanian surveillances on prevalence of cardiac involvement indicated a rate of 30%–50%. The present study aimed to overview the clinical and the main epidemiological characteristics of persons from western Romania found to have trichinosis and cardiac involvement.


METHODS
Hospitalization documents of individuals with trichinosis and cardiac complications admitted at the Hospital of Infectious Diseases in Timisoara, Romania, were retroactively investigated. Patients were residents of three Romanian counties and were hospitalized between 1990 and 2001.


RESULTS
Twenty-eight patients, found to have trichinosis, presented cardiac involvement. Of the study group, six patients (21.4%) died during hospitalization and their necropsy revealed the diagnosis of myocarditis. For the remaining patients, myocarditis was only suspected and cardiac abnormalities were mainly evidenced by electrocardiography. The mean age of the patients was 38 years (range, 3–80 years) and there were 18 male patients (64.3%). Repolarization disturbances predominated and myalgia was the most common symptom. The mean eosinophil value of the study group was 16.9% (range, 2–70%).


CONCLUSIONS
Cardiac involvement represented and still continues to be a major complication in Romanian patients. According to its potentially lethal outcome, myocarditis must be considered in such patients even when specific symptoms are missing. Prophylactic measures are also very important and should be based especially on health education programs for the masses.
Neghina
Raul
R
Victor Babes University of Medicine and Pharmacy, 5 Vasile Lucaciu St., Timisoara, Romania. raul.neghina@gmail.com
Neghina
Adriana Maria
AM
Marincu
Iosif
I
Iacobiciu
Ioan
I
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D004804:Eosinophils; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D006760:Hospitalization; D006801:Humans; D007958:Leukocyte Count; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009205:Myocarditis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000209:etiology*; D012383:Romania / Q000453:epidemiology; D014235:Trichinellosis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology