Parasitosis con manifestaciones clínicas neurológicas y cardíacas

Abstract

Parasitic infections, which were rare in our setting until recently, are now becoming increasingly common due to migratory movements, international travel and immunosuppression. These infections should therefore be considered when making a differential diagnosis between certain clinical conditions, including diseases of the heart and nervous system. In cases of cardiac involvement with parasitic infections, the primary production mechanism of these parasites entails their invasion of the myocardium and pericardium, which, in turn, gives rise to an inflammatory response. Chagas disease, African trypanosomiasis, toxoplasmosis, trichinosis and infections caused by free-living amoebae typically affect the myocardium and result in the onset of myocarditis or cardiomyopathy. In cases of amebiasis and echinococcosis, the most affected structure is the pericardium, which consequently results in the onset of pericardial effusion, tamponade, acute pericarditis or constrictive pericarditis. Schistosomiasis, for its part, affects the pulmonary vasculature and is a noteworthy cause of pulmonary hypertension and pulmonary heart disease (cor pulmonale). Parasitic infections of the nervous system are also a frequent cause of morbidity and mortality. Meningoencephalitis, encephalitis and the growth of space-occupying lesions in cases of echinococcosis, cysticercosis or toxoplasmosis are the primary forms of parasitic cerebral infections.