Loeffler described a cardiac syndrome that overlaps with endomyocardial fibrosis.
Clinical features of Loeffler’s endocarditis:
(1) persistent hypereosinophilia in the peripheral blood (may be of any cause)
(2) cardiac disease:
(2a) initially there may be an eosinophilic endocarditis
(2b) later in the course of the disease the patient develops endomyocardial fibrosis
(3) heart failure with diastolic dysfunction, restrictive cardiomyopathy or atrioventricular valve regurgitation, with or without pulmonary hypertension
Early disease may be treated by controlling the cause of the eosinophilia with corticosteroids. Endomyocardial fibrosis may be treated by (a) endomyomectomy (removal of the fibrotic endomyometrium) and (b) atrioventricular valve replacement. Rarely cardiac transplantation may be needed.
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