Calcified neurocysticercosis associates with hippocampal atrophy: a population-based study

Del Brutto, Oscar H.; García Lescano, Héctor Hugo; Del Brutto, Victor J.; Campos, Xavier; Lama, Julio; Salgado, Perla; Zambrano, Mauricio

dc.contributor.author	Del Brutto, Oscar H.
dc.contributor.author	Salgado, Perla
dc.contributor.author	Lama, Julio
dc.contributor.author	Del Brutto, Victor J.
dc.contributor.author	Campos, Xavier
dc.contributor.author	Zambrano, Mauricio
dc.contributor.author	García Lescano, Héctor Hugo
dc.date.accessioned	2019-02-06T14:57:39Z
dc.date.available	2019-02-06T14:57:39Z
dc.date.issued	2015
dc.identifier.uri	https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.12866/5482
dc.description.abstract	Calcified neurocysticercosis has been associated with hippocampal atrophy in patients with refractory epilepsy, but the relevance of this association in the population at large is unknown. We assessed calcified cysticerci and its association with hippocampal atrophy in elderly persons living in Atahualpa, an Ecuadorian village endemic for neurocysticercosis. All Atahualpa residents >/= 60 years of age were invited to undergo computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging for neurocysticercosis detection. Twenty-eight (11%) out of 248 enrolled persons had calcified cysticerci (case-patients) and were matched 1:1 by age, sex, and years of education to individuals without neurocysticercosis on computed tomography/magnetic resonance imaging (controls). Four case-patients and none of the controls had epilepsy (P = 0.134). Cognitive performance was similar across both groups. The Scheltens' medial temporal atrophy scale was used for hippocampal rating in case-patients and matched controls without neurocysticercosis. Mean score in the Scheltens' scale was higher in case-patients than in controls (P < 0.001). Atrophic hippocampi were noticed in 19 case-patients and five controls (P = 0.003). Atrophy was bilateral in 11 case-patients and unilateral in eight. All case-patients with unilateral hippocampal atrophy had at least one ipsilateral calcification. This study shows an association between calcified cysticerci and hippocampal atrophy and raises the possibility of an inflammation-mediated hippocampal damage as the responsible mechanism for these findings.	en_US
dc.language.iso	eng
dc.publisher	American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene
dc.relation.ispartofseries	American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH Journal)
dc.rights	info:eu-repo/semantics/restrictedAccess
dc.subject	Female	en_US
dc.subject	Humans	en_US
dc.subject	Male	en_US
dc.subject	Aged	en_US
dc.subject	Tomography, X-Ray Computed	en_US
dc.subject	Magnetic Resonance Imaging	en_US
dc.subject	Calcinosis	en_US
dc.subject	Atrophy	en_US
dc.subject	Ecuador/epidemiology	en_US
dc.subject	Hippocampus/pathology	en_US
dc.subject	Neurocysticercosis/diagnostic imaging/epidemiology/pathology	en_US
dc.title	Calcified neurocysticercosis associates with hippocampal atrophy: a population-based study	en_US
dc.type	info:eu-repo/semantics/article
dc.identifier.doi	https://doi.org/10.4269/ajtmh.14-0453
dc.subject.ocde	https://purl.org/pe-repo/ocde/ford#3.03.06
dc.relation.issn	1476-1645