title: Brucellosis impairs endothelial functions in chronic symptomatic patients without overt cardiac involvement.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Brucellosis is an important infectious disease, especially in developing countries, and may involve any organ, including the cardiovascular system. This study aimed to assess cardiac and endothelial functions in brucellosis patients.
  
  
  METHODS
  Seventy-three patients with brucellosis and seventy-five healthy volunteers from Turkey were enrolled between 2011 and 2013 in this cross-sectional study. Diagnosis was established by the Rose-Bengal test, positive Brucella standart tube agglutination test, and Coombs STA and/or isolation Brucella species from blood. Cases were divided into three groups: Group I; acute brucellosis, Group II; subacute brucellosis, and Group III; chronic brucellosis. Healthy individuals comprised Group IV. All patients underwent transthoracic echocardiography and brachial artery flow-mediated dilatation (FMD) test.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Groups I to IV comprised 35, 18, and 20 patients, and 75 controls respectively. The most frequent symptoms were arthralgia (82%), fever (92%), and fatigue (97%). Echocardiography revealed no difference among the 4 groups regarding left ventricular systolic and diastolic functions and valvular functions. Brachial artery diameter after hyperemia was significantly different among the groups (p=0.002). Post hoc test showed Group III to have significantly lower brachial artery diameter after hyperemia compared to other groups (p=0.02, p=0.004 and p=0.001, respectively). FMD was also significantly lower in Group III compared to Groups I, II and IV (p<0.001 for each).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Brucellosis impairs endothelial functions in chronic symptomatic patients without overt cardiac involvement.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey. m.ozangursoy@yahoo.com.
authors.forename: Mustafa Ozan
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Gürsoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: İrfan
authors.initials: İ
authors.lastname: Tursun
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Alpua
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aslı
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Haykır Solay
authors.affiliation: Department of Infectious Diseases, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Müge
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Tokat Çobanlı
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hale
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Demirtaş
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Gülten
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Ercan
authors.affiliation: Department of Pediatrics, Iğdır State Hospital, Iğdır, Turkey.
authors.forename: Semra
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Gürsoy
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Koşuyolu Kartal Heart Training and Research Hospital, İstanbul, Turkey.
authors.forename: Macit
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kalçık
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Doğubeyazıt State Hospital, Ağrı, Turkey.
authors.forename: Süleyman
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Karakoyun
authors.affiliation: Department of Cardiology, Kars Kafkas University Faculty of Medicine, Kars, Turkey.
authors.forename: Mehmet
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Özkan
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D002006:Brucellosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004452:Echocardiography; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000382:microbiology* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006334:Heart Function Tests; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055815:Young Adult