Loeffler endocarditis
Encyclopedia
Loeffler endocarditis, a form of endocarditis
, is a form of hypereosinophilic syndrome
.
It is a restricive cardiomyopathy
characterized eosinophilia
and eosinophilic
penetration leading to the fibrotic thickening of portions of the heart (similar to that of endomyocardial fibrosis) and commonly has large mural thrombi. Common symptoms include edema and breathlessness. It is commonly found in temperate climates, and is rapidly fatal.
Endocarditis
Endocarditis is an inflammation of the inner layer of the heart, the endocardium. It usually involves the heart valves . Other structures that may be involved include the interventricular septum, the chordae tendineae, the mural endocardium, or even on intracardiac devices...
, is a form of hypereosinophilic syndrome
Hypereosinophilic syndrome
The hypereosinophilic syndrome is a disease characterized by a persistently elevated eosinophil count in the blood for at least six months without any recognizable cause, with involvement of either the heart, nervous system, or bone marrow.HES is a diagnosis of exclusion, after clonal...
.
It is a restricive cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy
Cardiomyopathy, which literally means "heart muscle disease," is the deterioration of the function of the myocardium for any reason. People with cardiomyopathy are often at risk of arrhythmia or sudden cardiac death or both. Cardiomyopathy can often go undetected, making it especially dangerous to...
characterized eosinophilia
Eosinophilia
Eosinophilia is a condition in which the eosinophil count in the peripheral blood exceeds 0.45×109/L . A marked increase in non-blood tissue eosinophil count noticed upon histopathologic examination is diagnostic for tissue eosinophilia. Several causes are known, with the most common being...
and eosinophilic
Eosinophilic
Eosinophilic refers to the staining of certain tissues, cells, or organelles after they have been washed with eosin, a dye.Eosin is an acidic dye; thus, the structure being stained is basic....
penetration leading to the fibrotic thickening of portions of the heart (similar to that of endomyocardial fibrosis) and commonly has large mural thrombi. Common symptoms include edema and breathlessness. It is commonly found in temperate climates, and is rapidly fatal.