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Research Group Heussler (Malaria I) - Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für ...

Research Group Heussler (Malaria I) - Bernhard-Nocht-Institut für ...

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Clinical Department<br />

Cardiac impairment in falciparum malaria<br />

Zusammenfassung<br />

Eine Herzbeteiligung bei <strong>Malaria</strong> tropica wurde bisher<br />

als äusserst selten beschrieben. Eine Fall-Kontroll-Studie<br />

bei Europäern mit komplizierter und unkomplizierter<br />

<strong>Malaria</strong> tropica sollte diese Annahme<br />

verifizieren. Es wurden Serumkonzentrationen sensitiver<br />

und spezifischer Herzparameter wie das aminoterminale<br />

pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP)<br />

sowie das heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-<br />

FABP) neben Routineparametern <strong>für</strong> Myokardschädigung<br />

bestimmt. Es konnte gezeigt werden, dass<br />

es bei komplizierter <strong>Malaria</strong>, nicht aber bei unkomplizierter<br />

<strong>Malaria</strong> häufig zu einer Herzmuskelschädigung<br />

kommt, die sich durch erhöhte Serumkonzentrationen<br />

sensitiver Marker ausdrückt.<br />

Summary<br />

Cardiac impairment is thought to be rare in Plasmodium<br />

falciparum malaria. A case-control study in European<br />

travelers with uncomplicated and complicated falciparum<br />

malaria was conducted. Sensitive and specific<br />

markers for myocardial impairment like serum levels<br />

of N-terminal pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP),<br />

heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP), myoglobin,<br />

troponin T and CK-MB were compared. Elevated<br />

levels of NT-proBNP and H-FABP indicated substantial<br />

myocardial damage in complicated but not in uncomplicated<br />

falciparum malaria.<br />

102<br />

Project Description and Results<br />

Myocardial impairment in Plasmodium falciparum<br />

malaria is thought to be rare. Pulmonary edema is<br />

thought to be noncardiogenic in nature. In a case control<br />

study on severe malaria in children in northern<br />

Ghana it was felt that myocardial impairment might occur<br />

more often than expected. We conducted an unmatched<br />

case-control study in 63 patients with uncomplicated<br />

(n=52) and complicated (n=11) falciparum<br />

malaria. We measured the serum levels of N-terminal<br />

pro-brain natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) as a sensitive<br />

marker of impaired left ventricular (LV) function, and<br />

heart-type fatty acid-binding protein (H-FABP) as a sensitive<br />

and specific marker of acute myocardial injury.<br />

Additionally we assessed myoglobin, creatine kinase<br />

muscle-brain (CK-MB), and troponin T (TnT) as established<br />

markers of myocardial injury.<br />

Cardiac impairment, as defined by elevated levels of<br />

cardiac specific markers, was found to be common<br />

in complicated but not in uncomplicated falciparum<br />

malaria.<br />

Our first results are to be verified in differernt ways.<br />

The pathogenesis of cardiac impairment is to be examined.<br />

Possible contributing factors include ischemia,<br />

acidosis, direct toxic effects of substances like glycosylphosphatidyl-inositol<br />

(GPI), or apoptosis. The latter is<br />

currently assessed in a murine model.<br />

Our results are also verified in a endemic population.<br />

Therefore, 200 serum samples of Ghanaian children<br />

with uncomplicated and 200 serum samples of children

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