Cardiac imaging in patients with tropical diseases—a scientific statement of the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging (EACVI) of the European Society of Cardiology and the Cardiovascular Imaging Department of the Brazilian Society of Cardio
Tropical diseases (TDs), or neglected TDs, affect over 1 billion subjects globally, primarily in impoverished regions. Despite their impact, these diseases are often overlooked on the global health agenda, with limited resources allocated to their control. TDs are caused by various pathogens, including viruses, protozoa, helminths, and bacteria. Climate change and migration have led to the spread of TDs beyond tropical regions, highlighting the need for healthcare providers worldwide to address their management. The World Health Organization has released a road map for the prevention, control, and elimination of TDs by 2030. Cardiovascular involvement in TDs, including myocarditis, pericardial disease, pulmonary hypertension, obstructions caused by cysts, myocardial ischaemia, and cardiomyopathies, complicates disease prognosis. However, cardiovascular complications of TDs are often under-recognized and understudied. This scientific statement, prepared by the European Association of Cardiovascular Imaging and the Cardiovascular Imaging Department of the Brazilian Society of Cardiology, reviews the current understanding of the use of cardiovascular imaging in TDs, underscores gaps of knowledge, and proposes potential solutions. Although limited evidence is available, cardiovascular imaging techniques are valuable in diagnosing and managing cardiac manifestations of TDs. The scientific statement addresses some of the main tropical infections today, such as dengue, malaria, schistosomiasis, and tuberculosis, but excludes Chagas disease and rheumatic fever, which have been extensively covered in other documents. When used effectively, cardiovascular imaging can potentially aid in early diagnosis, prevention of complications, and management of cardiovascular impairment due to TDs, improving healthcare systems and patient care.
Authors
- Bernard Cosyns
- Sílvio Henrique Barberato (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0711-7995)
- Liliána Erzsébet Szabó (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4699-3648)
- Niall Keenan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0841-6989)
- Yohann Bohbot (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2695-9848)
- Erwan Donal (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2677-3389)
- Nuno Cardim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3812-4872)
- Luna Gargani (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0716-453X)
- Marcelo Luiz Campos Vieira (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4561-5717)
- Maria Carmo Pereira Nunes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8801-1828)
- Julia Grapsa (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4620-6234)
- Pankaj Garg (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0800-3578)
- Adenalva Lima de Souza Beck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5903-987X)
- Daniela do Carmo Rassi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9131-0439)
- Marc R. Dweck (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9847-5917)
- Steffen Erhard Petersen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4622-5160)
- André Luiz Cerqueira de Almeida (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1777-477X)
- Alex dos Santos Félix (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7046-8707)
- Valtteri Uusitalo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7345-7122)
- Anna Baritussio (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6900-6705)
- Ivan Stanković (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1818-9131)
Institutions
- University of Pisa (IT)
- Vrije Universiteit Brussel (BE)
- University of Padua (IT)
- Queen Mary University of London (GB)
- Universidade Estadual de Feira de Santana (BR)
- Barts Health NHS Trust (GB)
- Hospital Israelita Albert Einstein (BR)
- American Society of Echocardiography (US)
- Instituto de Cardiologia do Distrito Federal (BR)
- Instituto Nacional de Cardiologia (BR)
- Nova Medical (United States) (US)
- Instituto de Neurología Cognitiva (AR)
- Hospital das Clínicas da Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (BR)
- Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de São Paulo (BR)
- Instituto do Coração (PT)
- William Harvey Research Institute (GB)
- Quanta Computer (China) (CN)
- Hospital do Desterro (PT)
- Universidade Federal de Goiás (BR)
- Universidade Nova de Lisboa (PT)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
Publication Details
- Journal
- European Heart Journal - Cardiovascular Imaging
- Published
- 2025-05-20
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1093/ehjci/jeaf154
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Infective Endocarditis Diagnosis and Management
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.71
Funders
- Queen Mary University of London
- National Institute for Health and Care Research
- St George's University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust
- Barts Health NHS Trust