NCJ Number
213757
Journal
Journal of Forensic Sciences Volume: 51 Issue: 2 Dated: March 2006 Pages: 400-402
Date Published
March 2006
Length
3 pages
Annotation
This paper reports on three cases of sudden and unexpected deaths caused by heart failures related to echinococcosis, also known as hydatid disease.
Abstract
Echinococcosis is a human parasitic infection caused by the larval stage of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus, which usually enters the human body through ingestion. The liver and lungs are the most common locations of infection. Cardiac hydatid disease is rare, even in regions where the disease is more common, e.g., Mediterranean countries, the Middle East, South America, and East Africa. Although heart-related echinococcosis is rare, medical examiners should be informed about it because of its ability to cause sudden death and its lack of obvious symptoms. The three cases of heart-related deaths due to hydatid disease presented in this paper involved a 16-year-old girl, a 39-year-old woman, and a 28-year-old woman, all of whom died suddenly and unexpectedly. In all the cases, the autopsy's microscopic examination of cysts found in the heart showed characteristics of hydatid disease, cysts were not found in any other organs of the body, and there were no toxicological findings. Cardiac hydatid cysts are usually asymptomatic; however, they can cause nonspecific symptoms such as chest pain, palpitations, and cough. The cysts typically grow slowly without causing symptoms. Myocardial atrophy may occur due to the gradual expansion of the cyst. The signs and symptoms of cardiac hydatidic cysts are variable and directly related to their location and size. No clinical signs or symptoms were present in the three cases reported in this paper. 4 figures and 13 references