First described in Uganda over seven decades ago, Endomyocardial fibrosis (EMF) is a rare form of restrictive cardiomyopathy found in the tropics. EMF occurs mainly in two phenotypes; biventricular involvement and right ventricular (RV) form. Previously endemic in several countries, there are reports suggesting that the disease is on the decline.
To describe trends in annual incidence rates of newly diagnosed EMF cases at the Uganda Heart Institute (UHI).
This was a retrospective chart review of all newly diagnosed EMF cases at UHI from January 2007 to December 2020. Cases were divided into two groups A (2007–2013) and B (2014–2020).
A total of 155 cases were diagnosed during the period (Group A,
There has been a steady decline in the number of new cases of EMF seen at the UHI. However, there were no significant differences in the gender, age at diagnosis and EMF subtype of cases during the period under review. Complication rates were more frequent in the later cohort.