Peptic disease and Helicobacter pylori are highly prevalent in patients with the indeterminate form of Chagas' disease: report of 21 cases.

Given that chagasic patients in the indeterminate form of this disease, can have abnormal motility of the digestive tract and immunologic abnormalities, we decided to assess the frequency of peptic disease and Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in these individuals. Twenty-one individuals, 13 males and 8 females, mean age 37.6 +/- 11.1 years, were examined. Biopsies of the duodenum, antrum, lesser and greater gastric curvature and esophagus were performed. The endoscopic findings were of chronic gastritis in 20 (95.2%) patients, duodenal ulcer in 3 (14.3%), gastric and duodenal ulcer in 3 (14.3%), gastric ulcer alone in 1 (4.8%), esophagitis in 5 (23.8%), and duodenitis in 5 (23.8%). The diagnosis of infection by the Hp was done by the urease test and histologic examination. Hp infection was found in 20 (95.2%) individuals: in 20 out of them in the antrum, in 17 in the lesser curvature, and in 17 in the greater curvature. Hp was not found in the esophagus and duodenum. The only individual with no evidence of infection by Hp was also the only one with normal endoscopic and histologic examinations. The histologic examinations confirmed the diagnoses of gastric ulcer as peptic, chronic gastritis in 20 patients, duodenitis in 14, and esophagitis in 9. In this series the patients had a high frequency of peptic disease, which was closely associated with Hp infection.

[Occurrence of cysticercosis in autopsies performed in Uberlandia, Minas Gerais, Brazil]. / Ocorrência de cisticercose em necropsias realizadas em Uberlândia, Minas Gerais, Brasil.

3937 autopsies were performed between 1971 and 1993 in the Serviço de Anatomia Patológica of the Hospital de Clínicas of the Fundação de Assistência, Estudo e Pesquisa de Uberlândia, Universidade Federal de Uberlândia, in Minas Gerais, Brazil. At this Service of Pathology are realized all the autopsies of the municipal district of Uberlândia. The analysis of 2862 concluded autopsy reports, of death above the age of one year, disclosed 39 cases (1.4%) of cysticercosis. The age range was 16 to 83 years and 66.6% were males; 82.1% of the patients were from Minas Gerais State, 15.4% were from Goiás State, and in one case (2.5%) the origin was not registered. From these 39 cases, 35 (89.7%) showed central nervous system involvement, isolated or in association to other clinical forms of the disease; in 9 occurred the isolated or associated cardiac form; in 4 the muscular form, isolated or associated, was found; 4 presented the isolated or associated visceral form. In only 7 (17.9%) cases, the cysticercosis was assumed to be the direct cause of the death.