Résumé
Recent epidemiologic data suggested an increased mortality and morbidity in individuals harboring high densities of Loa loa microfilariae in the blood, underscoring the importance of studies on the possible reasons for this excess mortality. As part of the MorLo project, this cross-sectional study assessed blood samples from 38 people living in an area of Cameroon where loiasis is endemic. We evaluated the impact of loiasis and its treatment with ivermectin on hematological, hemostatic, and biochemical blood parameters (complete blood counts, erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, prothrombin time, activated thromboplastin time, fibrinogen, serum protein electrophoresis, ferritin, D-dimers, prothrombin fragment F1+2 and plasminogen). Participants were divided into four balanced groups based on their Loa loa microfilarial densities. At baseline, eosinophils (p<0.001) and platelets (p=0.044) increased with microfilarial densities. At day 4 following ivermectin administration, median eosinophils rose from 171/µL to 1,095/µL (p<0.001) and median D-dimers increased from 582 ng/mL to 745 ng/mL (p=0.024) with a median relative variation of +34.7%. C-reactive protein, fibrinogen, and alpha-1-globulin also increased significantly after treatment. Ivermectin treatment appeared to induce inflammation, coagulation activation and fibrinolysis.