Doença arterial coronariana em diabéticas do tipo 2 assintomáticas: estudo comparativo entre o teste ergométrico, o teste cardiopulmonar e a cintilografia de perfusão miocárdica com dipiridamol na identificação de isquemia

FUNDAMENTO: A doença cardiovascular é a principal causa de morbi-mortalidade nos diabéticos. A isquemia do miocárdio é freqüentemente assintomática levando ao diagnóstico tardio e pior prognóstico. Sabe-se que a mulher diabética tem risco de morte cardiovascular maior em relação ao sexo masculino. OBJETIVO: Avaliar a prevalência de doença arterial coronariana (DAC) em diabéticas assintomáticas. Comparar os resultados do teste ergométrico (TE), do teste cardiopulmonar (TCP) e da cintilografia do miocárdio sob estímulo farmacológico com dipiridamol (CM) com os achados da cinecoronariografia (CINE) verificando o método de maior acurácia na identificação de DAC significativa. MÉTODOS: Foram avaliadas 104 diabéticas que realizaram TE, TCP e CM no período de dois meses da CINE. As cintilografias com MIBI-99mTc foram realizadas pela técnica de gated-SPECT. A análise estatística foi realizada pelos testes x² de Pearson e t de Student, sendo realizada, ainda, análise de regressão logística. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de DAC no grupo estudado foi de 32,7%. No TE, o teste eficaz (p=0,045), a incompetência cronotrópica (p=0,031) e o tempo de esforço realizado (p=0,022) apresentaram associação significativa com DAC. No TCP, o VO2pico e a FC atingida apresentaram associação com DAC (p=0,004 e p=0,025). A maioria das variáveis da CM mostrou importante associação com DAC (todas com p=0,001). CONCLUSÃO: Os resultados obtidos sugerem elevada prevalência de DAC em pacientes diabéticas assintomáticas, devendo ser essa uma população investigada do ponto de vista cardiovascular. Dos métodos diagnósticos não-invasivos que foram empregados, o que mostrou ter maior poder de discriminação em relação às portadoras de DAC foi a CM com dipiridamol.

AIDS na infância: acometimento cardíaco com e sem a terapia anti-retroviral tríplice combinada

OBJETIVO: Descrever a prevalência de alterações cardíacas ao ecocardiograma em crianças com AIDS acompanhadas em serviço de referência aos 18±6 meses do diagnóstico confirmado de AIDS. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, com corte aos 18±6 meses do diagnóstico de AIDS. Incluídas 93 crianças com diagnóstico confirmado de AIDS por transmissão vertical, sem doença maligna, que, na avaliação cardiológica, realizaram ecocardiograma (eco). De forma exploratória avaliaram-se as alterações cardíacas nos pacientes sem uso (G1) e com uso (G2) de terapia combinada anti-retroviral. RESULTADOS: Quando do diagnóstico de AIDS, as crianças tinham em média 3,07 anos e 50,50% eram do sexo feminino. Esquema de terapia combinado com anti-retrovirais foi utilizado por 47 pacientes (G2). O acometimento cardíaco esteve presente em 40 crianças (43,00%). A presença de disfunção ventricular esquerda (G1:39,10%;G2:10,60%) e o aumento isolado de ventrículo esquerdo (G1:6,60%;G2:14,90%) foram os achados mais freqüentes. Observou-se associação significativa entre os grupos sem e com terapia anti-retroviral combinada quanto à presença de disfunção ventricular esquerda (RP=3,42; [1,41-8,26]; p =0,02) e de desnutrição (RP=1,79; [1,00-3,20]; p=0,04). CONCLUSÃO: O acometimento cardíaco foi freqüente nas crianças com AIDS, sendo a disfunção ventricular esquerda a alteração mais observada ao ecocardiograma. Houve diferença estatisticamente significativa entre os grupos com e sem tratamento tríplice combinado quanto à presença de disfunção ventricular esquerda e de desnutrição.

Prevalência e fatores de risco associados à doença arterial periférica no projeto corações do Brasil

FUNDAMENTO: A doença arterial obstrutiva periférica (DAOP) está associada ao maior índice de risco cardiovascular. No Brasil, faltam dados sobre sua prevalência e fatores de risco. OBJETIVO: Avaliar prevalência e fatores de risco associados à DAOP nas cidades brasileiras com > cem mil habitantes. MÉTODOS: Estudo transversal, multicêntrico, que avaliou 1.170 indivíduos (>18 anos), em 72 centros urbanos, participantes do Projeto Corações do Brasil. O diagnóstico de DAOP baseou-se na medida do índice tornozelo-braquial (ITB) < 0,90. A análise estatística utilizou teste Qui-quadrado (Pearson) corrigido para amostras complexas e intervalos de confiança. P < 0,05 foi considerado significativo. RESULTADOS: A prevalência de DAOP foi de 10,5% e apenas 9% dos portadores da doença apresentaram claudicação. A DAOP esteve associada à presença de diabetes, obesidade total e abdominal, acidente vascular cerebral (AVC) e doença isquêmica do coração (DIC). Houve tendência a maior prevalência de DAOP na presença de hipertensão, insuficiência cardíaca, insuficiência renal dialítica e tabagismo >20 anos/maço. Mulheres coronariopatas apresentaram risco 4,9 vezes maior de ter DAOP, do que aquelas sem coronariopatia e, entre homens diabéticos, o risco de DAOP foi 6,6 maior em comparação aos não diabéticos. CONCLUSÃO: A prevalência de DAOP foi elevada, considerando-se a baixa média de idade da população avaliada (44±14,7 anos). A minoria dos portadores apresentava claudicação, o que denota o grande contingente de indivíduos assintomáticos. Os fatores mais fortemente associados à doença foram diabetes, obesidade, AVC e DIC. Os autores concluíram que a medida do ITB deve ser considerada na avaliação de pacientes de moderado e alto risco cardiovascular.

Perfil lipídico, fatores de risco cardiovascular e síndrome metabólica em um grupo de pacientes com AIDS

FUNDAMENTO: Desde o advento da AIDS, a terapia antiretroviral desenvolveu-se significantemente, incluindo a terapia antiretroviral altamente ativa (HAART) e a doença adquiriu uma característica crônica. Entretanto, após a introdução da HAART, várias alterações metabólicas foram observadas, principalmente relacionadas ao perfil lipídico. OBJETIVO: Avaliar e comparar os perfis lipídicos, analisar o risco cardiovascular, e descrever a prevalência da síndrome metabólica em pacientes com AIDS tratados ou não com HAART. MÉTODOS: Durante um período de 18 meses, 319 pacientes tratados em ambulatórios na cidade de São Paulo, Brasil, foram selecionados. RESULTADOS: A amostra final incluiu 215 pacientes tratados com HAART e 69 pacientes virgens de tratamento com HAART. A idade média era 39,5 anos, e 60,9% eram do sexo masculino. Os principais fatores de risco cardiovascular eram o fumo (27%), hipertensão (18%) e histórico familiar de aterosclerose (40%). Os valores médios de colesterol total, HDL-colesterol, triglicérides e glicose foram mais altos no grupo HAART do que no grupo não-HAART (205 vs 180 mg/dl, 51 vs 43 mg/dl, 219 vs 164 mg/dl e 101 vs 93 mg/dl respectivamente; p < 0,001 para todos). De acordo com o escore de risco de Framingham, o risco cardiovascular era moderado a alto em 11% dos pacientes tratados com HAART e 4% dos pacientes não-HAART. De acordo com a definição do Adult Treatment Panel III, a síndrome metabólica foi observada em 13% e 12% dos pacientes, respectivamente, com e sem HAART. CONCLUSÃO: Embora os valores médios do colesterol total, HDL-c e triglicérides tenham sido mais altos no grupo HAART, um maior risco cardiovascular não foi identificado no primeiro grupo. A prevalência de síndrome metabólica foi comparável em ambos os grupos.

Alterações metabólicas, terapia antirretroviral e doença cardiovascular em idosos portadores de HIV

Um dos fenômenos mais atuais da síndrome da imunodeficiência adquirida (AIDS) é o surgimento de uma nova população vulnerável: os idosos. Um dos fatores responsáveis por este aumento é o desenvolvimento da terapia antirretroviral combinada (TARV), que tem proporcionado uma melhor qualidade e expectativa de vida do portador de HIV. Entretanto, a TARV está associada a efeitos adversos como dislipidemia, diabete melito e resistência à insulina, os quais se constituem como fatores de risco para doença cardiovascular. Com o impacto da TARV no metabolismo glicídico e lipídico, surgiram muitos estudos associando a infecção pelo HIV e a doença cardiovascular, assim como, os seus fatores de risco e a utilização da TARV, porém, poucos deles relatam sobre a cardiotoxicidade desta Terapia em idosos. Este artigo tem o objetivo de revisar as principais alterações metabólicas causadas pelo uso da terapia antirretroviral e o seu impacto no aumento do risco de doenças cardiovasculares nos idosos portadores de HIV.

Perfil dos pacientes com hipertensão arterial incluídos em uma coorte com HIV/AIDS em Pernambuco, Brasil

FUNDAMENTO: Hipertensão arterial sistêmica (HAS) é fator de risco modificável, cujo controle pode reduzir doença cardiovascular nos pacientes com vírus da imunodeficiência adquirida (HIV). OBJETIVO: Estimar a prevalência de HAS e descrever as características dos pacientes com HAS e pré-hipertensão infectados pelo HIV/AIDS. MÉTODOS: Estudo seccional alinhado a uma coorte de pacientes com HIV/AIDS. Considerou-se hipertensão em níveis > 140/90 mmHg ou uso de anti-hipertensivos e pré-hipertensão em níveis > 120/80 mmHg. RESULTADOS: Dos 958 pacientes, 388 (40,5%) eram normotensos, 325 (33,9%) pré-hipertensos e 245 (25,6%) hipertensos. Desses 245 pacientes, 172 (70,2%) sabiam ser hipertensos e 36 (14,8%) apresentavam pressão arterial controlada. Tiveram diagnóstico de HAS após o diagnóstico do HIV 62 pacientes (54,4%). Lipodistrofia ocorreu em 95 (46,1%) dos pacientes, já sobrepeso/obesidade em 129 (52,7%). Utilização de antirretrovirais ocorreu em 184 (85,9%), 89 (41,6%) com inibidores de protease (IP) e 95 (44,4%) sem IP. Utilizavam antivirais > 24 meses 74,7%. Idade, antecedentes familiares de hipertensão, circunferência abdominal, índice de massa corporal e triglicerídeos foram maiores entre pacientes hipertensos. Tempo de infecção pelo HIV, contagem de linfócitos CD4, carga viral, tempo e tipo de esquema antirretroviral foram semelhantes nos hipertensos e pré-hipertensos. CONCLUSÃO: A elevada frequência de hipertensos não controlados e de riscos cardiovasculares nos infectados pelo HIV apontam a necessidade de medidas preventivas e terapêuticas contra HAS nesse grupo.

Perfusão miocárdica dinâmica por tomografia computadorizada de dupla fonte de raio X

Relatamos caso de perfusão dinâmica e quantitativa pela tomografia computadorizada de múltiplos detectores de dupla fonte de Raio X em um paciente de 44 anos, com diagnóstico prévio de doença coronariana. A tomografia demonstrou quantitativamente déficit de perfusão miocárdica nos territórios irrigados por artérias com estenoses significativas confirmadas pela angiotomografia e pela cineangiocoronariografia. A tomografia computadorizada com dupla fonte de Raio X permitiu a avaliação dinâmica perfusional e anatômica, em um único estudo, durante o controle evolutivo desse paciente.

Right Ventricular Doppler Echocardiographic Study of Indeterminate Form of Chagas Disease

Background: Patients with indeterminate form of Chagas disease/cardiac normality (ICD/CN) exhibited normal electrocardiograms and chest X-rays; however, more sophisticated tests detected some degree of morphological and functional changes in the heart. Objective: To assess the prevalence of systolic and diastolic dysfunction of the right ventricle (RV) in patients with ICD/CN. Methods: This was a case–control and prevalence study. Using Doppler two-dimensional echocardiography (2D), 92 patients were assessed and divided into two groups: group I (normal, n = 31) and group II (ICD/CN, n = 61). Results: The prevalence of RV systolic dysfunction in patients in groups I and II was as follows: fractional area change (0.0% versus 0.6%), mobility of the tricuspid annulus (0.0% versus 0.0%), and S-wave tissue Doppler (6.4% versus 26.0%, p = 0.016). The prevalence of global disorders such as the right myocardial performance index using tissue Doppler (16.1% versus 27.8%, p = 0.099) and pulsed Doppler (61.3% versus 68%, p = 0.141) and diastolic disorders such as abnormal relaxation (0.0% versus 6.0%), pseudonormal pattern (0.0% versus 0.0%), and restrictive pattern (0.0% versus 0.0%) was not statistically different between groups. Conclusion: The prevalence of RV systolic dysfunction was estimated to be 26% (S wave velocity compared with other variables), suggesting incipient changes in RV systolic function in the ICD/CN group.

Carlos Chagas Discoveries as a Drop Back to Scientific Construction of Chronic Chagas Heart Disease

Abstract The scientific construction of chronic Chagas heart disease (CCHD) started in 1910 when Carlos Chagas highlighted the presence of cardiac arrhythmia during physical examination of patients with chronic Chagas disease, and described a case of heart failure associated with myocardial inflammation and nests of parasites at autopsy. He described sudden cardiac death associated with arrhythmias in 1911, and its association with complete AV block detected by Jacquet's polygraph as Chagas reported in 1912. Chagas showed the presence of myocardial fibrosis underlying the clinical picture of CCHD in 1916, he presented a full characterization of the clinical aspects of CCHD in 1922. In 1928, Chagas detected fibrosis of the conductive system, and pointed out the presence of marked cardiomegaly at the chest X-Ray associated with minimal symptomatology. The use of serological reaction to diagnose CCHD was put into clinical practice in 1936, after Chagas' death, which along with the 12-lead ECG, revealed the epidemiological importance of CCHD in 1945. In 1953, the long period between initial infection and appearance of CCHD was established, whereas the annual incidence of CCHD from patients with the indeterminate form of the disease was established in 1956. The use of heart catheterization in 1965, exercise stress testing in 1973, Holter monitoring in 1975, Electrophysiologic testing in 1973, echocardiography in 1975, endomyocardial biopsy in 1981, and Magnetic Resonance Imaging in 1995, added to the fundamental clinical aspects of CCHD as described by Carlos Chagas.

Behavior of triatomines (Hemiptera: Reduviidae) vectors of Chagas' disease: I. Courtship and copulation of Panstrongylus megistus (Burm-1835) in the laboratory

A study of the courship and copulation behaviour of Panstrongylus megistus was carried out in the laboratory. fifty-five newly-fed virgin couples were used. Experiments were performed during the day (9:00 to 12:00 a.m.) and at night (7:00 to 10:00 p.m). Behaviour was recorded by direct observation and was found to consist of the following sequence of behavioral patterns: the male approached the female and jumped on her or mounted her; he took on a dorsolateral position and immobilized the female dorsally and ventrally with his three pairs of legs; the male genital was placed below those of the female; the paramers of the male immobilized the female's genitals; copulation started. The couple joined by the iniciative of the male. The female could be receptive and accept copulation, or nonreceptive and reject the male. Copulation occurred more often on the occasion of the first attempt by the male. Duration of copulation was X = 29.3 ± 9.3 min (CV = 83%). No behavioral differences were observed couples tested during the day or at night.

Behavior of triatomines (Hemiptera, Reduviidae) vectors of Chagas' disease. II. Influence of feeding, lighting and time of day on the number of mating, mating speed and duration of copulation of Panstrongylus megistus (Burm, 1835) under laboratory conditions

To determine in influence of feeding, lighting and time of day on the copulating behavior of Panstrongylus megistus, 480 insect pairs were divided into four groups of 120 each and tested in the following respective situations: without food deprivation (F.D.), with five days of F.D., with ten days of F.D., and with 20 days of F. D. The tests were performed between 9:00 a.m. to 12:00a.m. and 7:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m., with light (700-1400 lux) and in the dark (1.4-2.8 lux) and behavior was recorded by the time sampling technique. Mating spped (MS) and duration of copulation (DC) were also calculated for each situation. The maximum frequency of copulation was observed after five days of F.D., at night, in the dark (n = 16), and the minimum was observed for recently-fed pairs, at night, with light (n = 4). Males approached females more often than females approached males. MS was lowest in pairs with twenty days of F.D., at night, with light (X = 23.0 ± 16.0 minutes), and highest in recently-fed pairs, during the day, with light (X = 2.9 ± 2.5 minutes). DC was shortest in recently-fed insects, during the day, in the dark (X = 23.5 ± 6.7 minutes), and longest in recently-fed animals, at night, in the dark (X = 38.3 ± 6.9 minutes).

Studies in search of a suitable experimental insect model for xenodiagnosis of hosts with Chagas' disease: 2 - Attempts to upgrade the reliability and the efficacy of xenodiagnosis in chronic Chagas' disease

In order to upgrade the reliability of xenodiagnosis, attention has been directed towards population dynamics of the parasite, with particular interest for the following factors: 1. Parasite density which by itself is not a research objective, but by giving an accurate portrayal of parasite development and multiplication, has been incorporated in screening of bugs for xenodiagnosis. 2. On the assumption that food availability might increase parasite density, bugs from xenodiagnosis have been refed at biweekly intervals on chicken blood. 3. Infectivity rates and positives harbouring large parasite yields were based on gut infections, in which the parasite population comprised of all developmental forms was more abundant and easier to detect than in fecal infections, thus minimizing the probability of recording false negatives. 4. Since parasite density, low in the first 15 days of infection, increases rapidly in the following 30 days, the interval of 45 days has been adopted for routine examination of bugs from xenodiagnosis. By following the enumerated measures, all aiming to reduce false negative cases, we are getting closer to a reliable xenodiagnostic procedure. Upgrading the efficacy of xenodiagnosis is also dependent on the xenodiagnostic agent. Of 9 investigated vector species, Panstrongylus megistus deserves top priority as a xenodiagnostic agent. Its extraordinary capability to support fast development and vigorous multiplication of the few parasites, ingested from the host with chronic Chagas' disease, has been revealed by the strikingly close infectivity rates of 91.2% vs. 96.4% among bugs engorged from the same host in the chronic and acute phase of the disease respectively (Table V), the latter comporting an estimated number of 12.3 x 10[raised to the power of 3] parasites in the circulation at the time of xenodiagnosis, as reported previously by the authors (1982).

Experimental chagas' disease in rhesus monkeys. I. Clinical parasitological, hematological and anatomo-pathological studies in the acute and indeterminate phase of the disease

Rhesus monkeys (macaca mulatta) were infected subcutaneously with 1.0 x 10**4 to 1.5 x 10**4 metacyclic trypomastigotes of Trypanosoma cruzi (Colombian strain). Parasitological and immunological parameters were evaluated in these animals for periods of 1 month to over 3 years. a chagona was observed between the 3 rd and the 13th day after infection (a.i) and patent parasitaemia between the 13th and 59th day a.i.. Thereafter, parasites were demonstrated only by haemoculture and/or xenodiagnosis. Circulating specifc IgM and IgC antibodies were observed as early as in the 2nd week a. i. IgG levels persisted until the end of the expriment, but IgM antibodies were detectable nine months a. i. Haematological alterations comprised leucocytosis and lymphocytosis. Eletrocardiographic alterations were minor and transient, similar to those observe in non-lethal human acute Chagas' myocarditis. Myocarditis and myositis, characterized by multiple foci of lympho-histiocyte inflammatory infiltrate, were present in monkeys sacrificed on the 41 th, 70th and 76 th day but not in the animal sacrificed 3 years and 3 months a. i.. The results suggest that Chagas' disease in rhesus monkeys reproduces the acute and indeterminate phases of human Chagas' disease.

Chagas' Disease and HIV Co-infection: Genotypic Characterization of the Trypanosoma cruzi Strain

In the past few years, new aspects of the immunopathology of Chagas' disease have been described in immunosuppressed patients, such as fatal central nervous system lesions related to the reactivation of the parasite. This article is the first description of the genotypic characterization, at the strain level, of Trypanosoma cruzi isolated from a patient with Chagas` disease/AIDS co-infection. The presence of four hypodense lesions was observed in the cranial compute tomographic scan. The diagnosis of AIDS was assessed by the detection of anti-HIV antibodies using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and Western blot techniques. The CD4+ lymphocyte counts were maintained under 200 cells/mm3 during one year demonstrating the severity of the state of immunosuppression. Chagas' disease was confirmed by serological and parasitological methods. Trypomastigote forms were visualized in a thick blood smear. The parasite isolated is genotypically similar to the CL strain. The paper reinforces that cerebral Chagas' disease can be considered as another potential opportunistic infection in AIDS resulting from the reactivation of a dormant T. cruzi infection acquired years earlier.

. Phenotype/genotype correlation associated with a novel nonsense Glu20stop mutation in the Rp2 gene in a three-generation family with x-linked retinitis pigmentosa

Purpose: To assess the phenotype of patients in a large 3 generation Swiss family with X-linked retinitis pigmentosa (XLRP) due to a novel nonsense mutation Glu20stop in RP2 gene and to correlate with the genotype. Methods: 6 affected patients (1 male, 5 females, age range: 23 - 73 years) were assessed with a complete ophthalmologic examination. All had fundus autofluorescence images, standardised electroretinography, Goldmann visual fields and Optical Coherence Tomography. In addition, medical records of 2 affected male patients were reviewed. Blood sample was taken for molecular analysis. Results: The male patients were severely affected at a young age with early macular involvement. The youngest 23 y old male had also high myopia and vision of less than 0.05 according to Snellen EDTRS chart bilaterally. All 5 female carriers had some degree of rod-cone dystrophy, but no macular involvement. The visual acuity was 1.0 in the younger carriers, while the 73 years old had VA of 0.5. Two females had mild myopia (range -0.75 to -2) and one had anisometropia of 3.5D, with the more severely affected eye being myopic. Three out of 5 female carriers had optic nerve drusen. Conclusions: We report a novel Glu20stop mutation in RP2 gene, which is a rare cause of XLRP. Our description of severe phenotype in male patients with high myopia and early macular atrophy confirms previous reports. Unlike previous reports, all our female carriers had RP, but not macular involvement or high myopia. The identifiable phenotype for RP2-XLRP aids in clinical diagnosis and targeted genetic screening.