Endomyocardial fibrosis in Zimbabwe--how rare is it? A report of two cases

In Africa endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is rare outside countries where it is endemic, such as Uganda, Mozambique and Ivory Coast. The only published case in Zimbabwe was in 1957. We describe two female patients aged 22 and 19 years who presented within seven months of each other with typical clinical, electrocardiographic and echocardiogaphic features of right ventricular EMF. We would like to suggest that EMF exists in Zimbabwe and needs to be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients presenting with suggestive clinical features.