Cysticercosis & Heart: A Systematic Review.

Cysticercosis is a parasitic tissue infection caused by larval cysts of the tapeworm Taenia solium. These larval cysts infect brain, muscle, or other tissue, and are a major cause of adult-onset seizures in most low-income countries with tropical climate. Prevalence it's around 50 million people. Although cardiovascular system is not the most affected, this disease can also be associated with multiple and randomly distributed cysts in the subpericardium, subendocardium and myocardium in up to 25% of infected patients. Most cardiac cysticercosis' cases are asymptomatic, but it can manifest with ventricular arrhythmias and conduction disorders. Area Covered: The "Neglected Tropical Diseases and other Infectious Diseases affecting the Heart" (NET-Heart project) is an initiative by the Emerging Leaders group of the Interamerican Society of Cardiology to systematically review all these endemic conditions affecting the heart. A systematic review was conducted following preferred reporting items for systematic review and meta-analysis guidelines and including articles published in MEDLINE, ScienceDirect, PubMed and LILACS databases. A total of 41 papers were included in this review. Expert Opinion: In the areas of greatest prevalence, unhealthiness and poverty favor the development of this disease, which highlights the need to establish global health policies that reduce morbidity and mortality, economic losses of the affected population, and health costs related to hospitalizations for cardiovascular involvement. Authors provide an algorithm to evaluate the possibility of Cysticercosis' cardiovascular complications.

Dengue and the heart.

Dengue is a neglected viral arthropod-borne tropical disease transmitted by the bite of infected Aedes spp. mosquitoes. It is responsible for a significant global burden of disease and corresponding socio-economic implications. There are four different virus serotypes, all of which are found predominantly in countries with tropical climates. Patients with dengue may present with cardiovascular (CV) manifestations, contributing to associated death and disability. A systematic review was conducted to identify CV manifestations of dengue, wherein 30 relevant studies were identified in the MEDLINE and PubMed databases. CV complications of dengue include rhythm abnormalities, hypotension, myocarditis, pericarditis and deterioration in myocardial function. Prompt recognition and treatment of CV complications of dengue are essential to reduce morbidity and mortality in these patients, who are at risk of progressing to cardiogenic shock and heart failure.