TITLE:
Angiostrongylus costaricensis: Systematic Review of Case Reports
AUTHORS:
Angela Romero-Alegría, Moncef Belhassen-García, Virginia Velasco-Tirado, Ana Garcia-Mingo, Lucia Alvela-Suárez, Javier Pardo-Lledias, Miguel Cordero Sánchez
KEYWORDS:
Angiostrongylus costaricensis; Abdominal Angiostrongyliasis; Acute Abdomen; Eosinophilia
JOURNAL NAME:
Advances in Infectious Diseases,
Vol.4 No.1,
March
5,
2014
ABSTRACT:
Introduction: Abdominal angiostrongyliasis is an
infrequently diagnosed disease because it is little known and is usually well
tolerated. Methods: We carried out a systematic review with PubMed as a search
engine for the MedLine database, and we analysed the clinical, epidemiological
and analytical parameters of this disease. Results: In total, reports of 27 case have been found, together with a
series of 116 patients, which were later
augmented up to 194 patients. In the results, we have observed a predominance
of male patients, and Costa Rica, Brazil and the United States as the main
countries of origin. Typical symptoms include abdominal pain on the right iliac
fossa, with leukocytosis and eosinophilia. Discussion: There are some
serological diagnostic methods, although lack of standardization leads to most
of the diagnoses being reached via pathology. Surgery is the usual treatment
approach. Although there are medical options, this is a controversial subject
because of the low number of cases published in the literature, which implies
an absence of solid studies.