Eosinophilia and heart disease.

Disseminated Microfilaremia Associated with Lung Cyst and Empyema: An Autopsy Report

“…The association between eosinophilia and EMF with eosinophilic hypersensitive myocarditis has been well documented in the literature [8,9]. The myocardium in the present case revealed features of eosinophilic hypersensitive myocarditis with EMF.…”

Endomyocardial Fibrosis: Clinical, Echocardiographic and Hemodynamic Findings

“…The cause of the disease is not known. Possibly abnormal eosinophils are involved in the pathogenesis [14][15][16][17] because frequently, but inconsistently, eosinophilia is found in patients with endomyocardial fibrosis, and with eosinophilic leukemia and Loffer disease [16,17], as occurred in one of our patients with hypereosinophil syndrome and who developed biventricular EMF (Case 15). In this study, we report on 18 patients from Saudi Arabia, one patient was Syrian (Case 18), the rest were Saudi patients from different regions of Saudi Arabia.…”

“…Left ventricular involvement was characterized by obliteration of the apex in all patients with biventricular or left ventricle EMF (Figure 3). Mitral regurgitation was severe in six patients (Cases 7,8,11,(15)(16)(17), mild in four (Cases 9,12,13,18), or absent in two (Cases 10 and 14). Obliteration of both ventricular apices was observed in biventricular EMF.…”

“…The initial diagnosis was constrictive pericarditis in five patients (Cases 1,2,6,13,14), rheumatic mitral or tricuspid regurgitation in six patients (Cases 7,8,(15)(16)(17)(18), dilated cardiomyopathy in three ( Cases 9,11,12), and Ebstein's malformation of the tricuspid valve in one patient (Case 3) (Table 1).…”

Eosinophil cationic granule proteins impair thrombomodulin function. A potential mechanism for thromboembolism in hypereosinophilic heart disease.

“…cations, evolve over months or years to cause progressive endocardial and myocardial damage culminating in congestive heart failure, or resolve over years leaving residual endomyocardial fibrosis (1)(2)(3). This unusual form of endocarditis, although rare in temperate climates, causes 10-20% ofall cardiac deaths in tropical Africa and Southeast Asia, where chronic hypereosinophilia, caused by endemic parasitic infestations, is common (4).…”