ABSTRACT
Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a disease of the lung blood vessels that results in right heart failure. PAH is thought to occur in about 5% to 10% of patients with hepatosplenic schistosomiasis, particularly due to S. mansoni. The lung blood vessel injury may result from a combination of embolization of eggs through portocaval shunts into the lungs causing localized Type 2 inflammatory response and vessel remodeling, triggering of autonomous pathology that becomes independent of the antigen, and high cardiac output as seen in portopulmonary hypertension. The condition is likely underdiagnosed as there is little systematic screening, and risk factors for developing PAH are not known. Screening is done by echocardiography, and formal diagnosis requires invasive right heart catheterization. Patients with Schistosoma-associated PAH show reduced functional capacity and can be treated with pulmonary vasodilators, which improves symptoms and may improve survival. There are animal models of this disease that might help in understanding disease pathogenesis and identify novel targets to screen and treatment. Pathogenic mechanisms include Type 2 immunity and activation and signaling in the TGF-ß pathway. There are still major uncertainties regarding Schistosoma-associated PAH development, course and treatment.
Subject(s)
Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension/pathology , Schistosoma mansoni/immunology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/pathology , Animals , Humans , Lung/immunology , Lung/pathology , Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension/immunology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/immunology , Transforming Growth Factor beta/immunology , Vascular Remodeling/immunology , Vascular Remodeling/physiologyABSTRACT
For the last two decades, ultrasound (US) has been considered a surrogate for the gold standard in the evaluation of liver fibrosis in schistosomiasis. The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is not yet standardised for diagnosing and grading liver schistosomal fibrosis. The aim of this paper was to analyse MRI using an adaptation of World Health Organization (WHO) patterns for US assessment of schistosomiasis-related morbidity. US and MRI were independently performed in 60 patients (42.1 +/- 13.4 years old), including 37 men and 23 women with schistosomiasis. Liver involvement appraised by US and MRI was classified according to the WHO protocol from patterns A-F. Agreement between image methods was evaluated by kappa index (k). The correlation between US and MRI was poor using WHO patterns [k = 0.14; confidence interval (CI) 0.02; 0.26]. Even after grouping image patterns as "A-D", "Dc-E" and "Ec-F", the correlation between US and MRI remained weak (k = 0.39; CI 0.21; 0.58). The magnetic resonance adaptation used in our study did not confirm US classification of WHO patterns for liver fibrosis.
Subject(s)
Liver Cirrhosis/diagnostic imaging , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/diagnostic imaging , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/pathology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/diagnostic imaging , Schistosomiasis mansoni/pathology , Adolescent , Adult , Aged , Female , Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/parasitology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Schistosomiasis mansoni/complications , Severity of Illness Index , Ultrasonography , World Health Organization , Young AdultABSTRACT
Abdominal ultrasound (US) has been widely used in the evaluation of patients with schistosomiasis mansoni. It represents an important indirect method of diagnosis and classification of the disease, and it has also been used as a tool in the evaluation of therapeutic response and regression of fibrosis. We describe the case of a man in whom US showed solid evidence of schistosomal periportal fibrosis and magnetic resonance imaging revealed that periportal signal alteration corresponded to adipose tissue which entered the liver togheter with the portal vein.
Subject(s)
Animals , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Liver Cirrhosis , Liver Diseases, Parasitic , Portal Vein , Schistosomiasis mansoni , Liver Cirrhosis/parasitology , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Liver Cirrhosis , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/pathology , Liver Diseases, Parasitic , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Portal Vein/parasitology , Portal Vein/pathology , Portal Vein , Severity of Illness Index , Schistosomiasis mansoni/complications , Schistosomiasis mansoni/pathology , Schistosomiasis mansoniABSTRACT
Abdominal ultrasound (US) has been widely used in the evaluation of patients with schistosomiasis mansoni. It represents an important indirect method of diagnosis and classification of the disease, and it has also been used as a tool in the evaluation of therapeutic response and regression of fibrosis. We describe the case of a man in whom US showed solid evidence of schistosomal periportal fibrosis and magnetic resonance imaging revealed that periportal signal alteration corresponded to adipose tissue which entered the liver together with the portal vein.
Subject(s)
Liver Cirrhosis , Liver Diseases, Parasitic , Portal Vein , Schistosomiasis mansoni , Animals , Humans , Liver Cirrhosis/diagnostic imaging , Liver Cirrhosis/parasitology , Liver Cirrhosis/pathology , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/diagnostic imaging , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/parasitology , Liver Diseases, Parasitic/pathology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Middle Aged , Portal Vein/diagnostic imaging , Portal Vein/parasitology , Portal Vein/pathology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/complications , Schistosomiasis mansoni/diagnostic imaging , Schistosomiasis mansoni/pathology , Severity of Illness Index , UltrasonographyABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: The best treatment for schistosomal myeloradiculopathy (SMR) remains undefined. There is also no longitudinal study to estimate the value of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in the diagnosis and follow-up of this disease. METHODS: Patients with the following presentation were considered for study: lumbar and/or lower limb pain; lower limb weakness; anesthesia, hypoesthesia, or paresthesia; bladder and/or intestinal dysfunction; and sexual impotence. Sixteen patients with SMR were treated with oral praziquantel (50 mg/kg in a single dose) and methylprednisolone (15 mg/kg/day intravenously for 5 days) followed by prednisone (1 mg/kg/day orally for 6 months). Clinical outcome was prospectively evaluated in months 2 and 6 of treatment. RESULTS: Image alterations were detected by MRI at diagnosis for all patients, and normalization or improvement was reported at the end of treatment. There was statistically significant clinical melioration at both the second and sixth months of therapy for most neurological alterations. However, the best clinical outcome was achieved when the steroid was given for >2 months. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with praziquantel associated with corticosteroids was successful in all cases. MRI proved to be a good method for the diagnosis of SMR and helpful in the evaluation of response to treatment.
Subject(s)
Anthelmintics/therapeutic use , Glucocorticoids/therapeutic use , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Methylprednisolone/therapeutic use , Neuroschistosomiasis/diagnosis , Neuroschistosomiasis/drug therapy , Praziquantel/therapeutic use , Radiculopathy/diagnosis , Radiculopathy/drug therapy , Adolescent , Adult , Drug Therapy, Combination , Female , Humans , Longitudinal Studies , Male , Middle Aged , Prospective Studies , Radiculopathy/parasitologySubject(s)
Adult , Animals , Humans , Male , Neuroschistosomiasis/parasitology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/diagnosis , Spinal Cord Diseases/parasitology , Cervical Vertebrae/parasitology , Cervical Vertebrae , Laminectomy , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Neuroschistosomiasis/diagnosis , Neuroschistosomiasis/drug therapy , Oxamniquine/therapeutic use , Prednisolone/therapeutic use , Schistosoma mansoni , Schistosomiasis mansoni/drug therapy , Schistosomicides/therapeutic use , Spinal Cord Diseases/diagnosis , Spinal Cord Diseases/drug therapySubject(s)
Neuroschistosomiasis/parasitology , Schistosomiasis mansoni/diagnosis , Spinal Cord Diseases/parasitology , Adult , Animals , Cervical Vertebrae/diagnostic imaging , Cervical Vertebrae/parasitology , Humans , Laminectomy , Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Male , Neuroschistosomiasis/diagnosis , Neuroschistosomiasis/drug therapy , Oxamniquine/therapeutic use , Prednisolone/therapeutic use , Radiography , Schistosoma mansoni , Schistosomiasis mansoni/drug therapy , Schistosomicides/therapeutic use , Spinal Cord Diseases/diagnosis , Spinal Cord Diseases/drug therapyABSTRACT
Schistosoma mansoni infection is likely to be responsible for a significant proportion of cases of myelopathy occurring in areas where schistosomiasis is endemic. The aim of this study is to describe the clinical, laboratory and therapeutic data of 23 patients with schistosomal myeloradiculopathy. The medical records of 23 patients with schistosomal myelopathy admitted to two general hospitals of Belo Horizonte (MG), in Brazil, from 1995 to 1999, were reviewed retrospectively. Seventeen patients were male (74 percent). The mean age for the whole group was 27 years. Lower limb weakness and associated lumbar and/or lower limb pain were reported by 20 patients (87 percent), and 16 (70 percent) were unable to walk. All individuals presented urinary retention and 19 (83 percent) complained of intestinal dysfunction. The treatment was based on the association of antischistosomal drugs and corticosteroids. Five patients (22 percent) presented a full response to treatment, 13 (57 percent) partial response without functional limitations and 4 (17 percent) partial improvement with limitations or no response. Three out of the 4 patients who stopped steroids before 45 days of treatment developed recurrence of the symptoms and signs of myelopathy. Our cases demonstrate the severe presentation of the disease and the data disclosed here suggest that treatment with steroids should be kept for months after clinical improvement