Chagas disease, resulting from the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia, and sudden death.
Chagas disease, originally a South American endemic health problem, is expanding worldwide because of people migration. Its main impact is on the cardiovascular system, producing myocardial damage that frequently results in heart failure.
Overview. Chagas (CHAH-gus) disease is an inflammatory, infectious disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite is found in the feces of the triatomine (reduviid) bug.
Chagas disease (CD) is caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, a protozoan parasite that can cause acute myopericarditis as well as chronic fibrosing cardiomyopathy. CD is the most common cause of non-ischemic cardiomyopathy in Latin America [1].
Chagas disease is an infectious disease caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. The disease mainly affects the nervous system, digestive system and heart.
Chagas disease is curable if treated soon after infection. Unfortunately, most infected people are unaware of their infection until it's too late, and they present with complications of chronic heart or bowel problems.
Many people may remain asymptomatic for life and never develop Chagas-related symptoms. However, an estimated 20–30% of infected people will develop severe and sometimes life-threatening medical problems over the course of their lives. A dilated esophagus or colon, leading to difficulties with eating or passing stool.
Chagas disease, resulting from the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi, is an important cause of heart failure, stroke, arrhythmia, and sudden death.
In the chronic phase of the disease, the parasite gets inside your heart muscle. This is why later symptoms often involve the heart. Symptoms of Chagas disease in the acute phase (the first few weeks or months) are: Mild flu-like symptoms, such as fever, fatigue, body aches, and headaches.
Chagas disease (T. cruzi infection) is also referred to as American trypanosomiasis. It is estimated that as many as 8 million people in Mexico, Central America, and South America have Chagas disease, most of whom do not know they are infected. If untreated, infection is lifelong and can be life threatening.
Parasite-dependent inflammation and myocardial damage - Chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy is an acquired cardiomyopathy characterised by sparse inflammatory infiltrates, minimal parasitaemia, low-grade tissue parasitism, and intense and extensive reparative and reactive fibrosis (Rossi 1991).
There are three phases of the disease: acute, indeterminate and chronic. In acute infection, symptoms can occur immediately following infection and can last approximately 2 months. Chronic infections can last for years.
Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite. This parasite is found in the feces of an infected blood-sucking triatomine bug. Transmission is from insect-to-human. An infection occurs when feces of the infected bug enter an open wound or mucous membrane such as the nose or eyes.
Decades after being infected, about 30 percent of those who have Chagas develop serious health effects, including cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle), heart failure, heart rhythm problems, and strokes. Less common are disorders that affect the digestive system.
Chagas heart disease (CHD), caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is the leading cause of infectious myocarditis in the world.
Chagas disease, also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a potentially life-threatening illness caused by the protozoan parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. About 6–7 million people worldwide are estimated to be infected with T. cruzi.
Physicians should consider factors such as the patient's age, clinical status, preference, and overall health. The two drugs used to treat infection with T. cruzi are nifurtimox and benznidazole. Benznidazole is approved by FDA for use in children 2–12 years of age and is available from www.benznidazoletablets.com .
In the chronic phase, it presents as neuritis that results in altered tendon reflexes and sensory impairment, and is reported in up to 10% of the patients. Isolated cases of central nervous system involvement can also include dementia, confusion, chronic encephalopathy and sensitive and motor deficits.
The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) during human acute and chronic Chagas disease (CD) has been largely reported. Meningoencephalitis is a frequent finding during the acute infection, while during chronic phase the CNS involvement is often accompanied by behavioral and cognitive impairments.
Chagas' disease can cause any type of ECG alteration, but classically we recognize right bundle branch block, associate with block of the anterosuperior division of the left bundle branch and ventricular extrasystoles as typical ECG tracings.
The diagnosis of Chagas disease can be made by observation of the parasite in a blood smear by microscopic examination. A thick and thin blood smear are made and stained for visualization of parasites.
During the second stage, people have no symptoms of Chagas disease and results of electrocardiography (ECG) and imaging tests of the heart and digestive system are normal. However, protozoa are present in their body and sometimes blood. Many people remain in this stage, without any symptoms, for the rest of their life.
Chagas disease causes approximately 10,000 deaths per year globally. Up to 30% of infected people develop symptoms. Chagas disease can cause: Stroke.
The only drugs with proven efficacy against Chagas disease in human trials are benznidazole and nifurtimox [2-4]. In general, benznidazole is better tolerated and so is favored by most experts as the first-line treatment for Chagas disease [5].