OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the intima-media thickness (IMT) of common and internal carotid arteries in patients with hepatosplenic schistomiasis mansoni and those who underwent portal decompression surgery (splenectomy and left gastric artery ligature). Both groups were compared with a health volunteer control group, living in the same social-economic-environmental conditions. MEHTODS: An ultrasound Doppler with a 7.5 MHz probe was used. The IMT was measured in the three groups with 20 individuals each, of both gender, with ages ranging from 20 to 60 years. The mean and standard deviations of common and internal carotid arteries maxIMT, medIMT, minIMT were assessed. Risk factors: age, systemic arterial hypertension and cigarette smoking were investigated as regard to IMT measurements. RESULTS: There were no statistical differences in IMT between right and left side, and among surgical, non-surgical and control groups. The surgical treated patients and controls showed correlation to known atherosclerotic risk factors: age, hypertension and cigarette smoking. However, non-surgically treated patients did not present the same correlation. CONLCUSION: It is tempting to believe that non-operated schistosomotic patients may have "some protection" against atherogenesis in human beings; however, the data do not lend full support to this hypothesis.
Schistosomiais; Atherosclerosis; Ultrasonics
