Bilharzial cor pulmonale is the condition of right sided
heart failure
Heart failure (HF), also known as congestive heart failure (CHF), is a syndrome, a group of signs and symptoms caused by an impairment of the heart's blood pumping function. Symptoms typically include shortness of breath, excessive fatigue, a ...
secondary to
fibrosis
Fibrosis, also known as fibrotic scarring, is a pathological wound healing in which connective tissue replaces normal parenchymal tissue to the extent that it goes unchecked, leading to considerable tissue remodelling and the formation of perma ...
and
sclerosis of the
pulmonary artery branches. It results from shifting of the
''Schistosoma haematobium'' ova from the pelvic and
vesical plexus to the pulmonary artery branches where they settle and produce
granuloma
A granuloma is an aggregation of macrophages that forms in response to chronic inflammation. This occurs when the immune system attempts to isolate foreign substances that it is otherwise unable to eliminate. Such substances include infectious ...
and fibrosis.
Bilharzial cor pulmonale occurs in ''
Schistosoma mansoni
A paired couple of ''Schistosoma mansoni''.
''Schistosoma mansoni'' is a water-borne parasite of humans, and belongs to the group of blood flukes (''Schistosoma''). The adult lives in the blood vessels ( mesenteric veins) near the human inte ...
'', when the
portal pressure rises more than the systemic pressure. So blood will pass from the portal circulation to the systemic circulation carrying ''Schistosoma mansoni'' ova to reach the
lung
The lungs are the primary organs of the respiratory system in humans and most other animals, including some snails and a small number of fish. In mammals and most other vertebrates, two lungs are located near the backbone on either side of t ...
s.
This condition leads to
pulmonary hypertension,
right ventricular hypertrophy
Right ventricular hypertrophy (RVH) is a condition defined by an abnormal enlargement of the cardiac muscle surrounding the right ventricle. The right ventricle is one of the four chambers of the heart. It is located towards the lower-end of the h ...
and failure.
Electrocardiograms of right ventricular hypertrophy in Bilharzial cor pulmonale
Retrieved 26 December 2016
See also
* Cor pulmonale
Pulmonary heart disease, also known as cor pulmonale, is the enlargement and failure of the right ventricle of the heart as a response to increased vascular resistance (such as from pulmonic stenosis) or high blood pressure in the lungs.
Chronic ...
.
References
{{portal bar, Medicine
Pulmonary heart disease and diseases of pulmonary circulation
Cardiomegaly