Cardiac involvement in human African trypanosomiasis
Bertrand, E.
Medecine Tropicale Revue du Corps de Sante Colonial 47(1): 91-93
1987
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-682X PMID: 3586976 Document Number: 290337
Cardio vascular symptoms of African trypanosomiasis are reviewed and discussed. Cardiac lesions are most frequent in, but not exclusive to the myocardium; trypanosomes are rarely found in humans, but frequent in animals. A retrospective review of 22 case histories shows that in 18 cases where death resulted from the "natural" progress of the disease (despite treatment) not only cardiac, but also neurological signs and general symptoms were severe. In the 4 cases where death was caused by arsenical encephalopathy, the cardiac involvement was minimal and cannot serve to forecast the possibility of drug-induced deaths. The cardio vascular signs may be related to CNS anomalies and/or to the inflammation of the cardiac muscle which may itself be dependent on the immune status of the patient.