In a recent issue of Revista Española de Cardiologia, Flores-Rı́os et al briefly reported the case of a 66-year-old woman with massive left ventricular calcification and concluded that the underlying cardiac disease was endomyocardial fibrosis. However, we consider that their conclusion is questionable. Endomyocardial fibrosis is a restrictive cardiomyopathy of unknown etiology that occurs almos...

Endomyocardial fibroelastosis (EFE) presents in a primary form that manifests in infancy as well as secondary forms related to hypereosinophilia and leukemic disorders (1). Accurate identification has previously required endomyocardial biopsy, though cardiovascular magnetic resonance (CMR) is uniquely suited to visualize endomyocardial fibrosis noninvasively. We present a case demonstrating CMR...

Endomyocardial fibrosis was originally reported as a prevalent condition leading to fatal cardiac failure in Uganda (Davies, 1960; Shillingford and Somers, 1961). Shortly afterwards, reports of new cases came from other African regions (Turner and Manson-Bahr, 1960; Abrahams, 1962) and isolated cases were recognized in America (Ishak and Tschumy, 1962), Europe (Lynch and Watt, 1957; Faruque, 19...

INTRODUCTION Endomyocardial fibrosis is a neglected tropical disease of unknown etiology and poor prognosis. It is endemic of tropical climates where it is the most common cause of restrictive cardiomyopathy in the second and fourth decades of life. A forme fruste of the disease is thought to be present in temperate climates where the diagnosis remains exceedingly rare. CASE PRESENTATION We d...

Thirty Nigerians with established endomyocardial fibrosis were studied. Basal serum 5-hydroxytryptamine levels were estimated on three different occasions at one-monthly intervals. Twentyfour hours before each estimation, dietary staples containing 5-hydroxytryptamine were excluded from the diet. Subsequently the patients were fed on a plantain diet and serum levels of 5-hydroxytryptamine were ...