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. 2009 Jul;111(1):51-5.
doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.02.005. Epub 2009 Mar 5.

Clinical profile of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a non-endemic setting: immigration and Chagas disease in Barcelona (Spain)

Jose Muñoz  1 , Jordi Gómez i Prat, Montserrat Gállego, Fausto Gimeno, Begoña Treviño, Pablo López-Chejade, Oriol Ribera, Lluis Molina, Sergi Sanz, María Jesús Pinazo, Cristina Riera, Elizabeth J Posada, Ginés Sanz, Montserrat Portús, Joaquim Gascon
Affiliations

Clinical profile of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in a non-endemic setting: immigration and Chagas disease in Barcelona (Spain)

Jose Muñoz et al. Acta Trop. 2009 Jul.

Abstract

Background: Chagas disease is no longer limited to Latin America and is becoming frequent in industrialised countries in Europe and United States.

Methods: A descriptive study of Latin American immigrants in Barcelona attending two centres for imported diseases during a period of 3 years. The main outcome was the identification of Trypanosoma cruzi-infected individuals in a non-endemic country and the characterization of their clinical and epidemiological features.

Results: A total of 489 Latin American patients participated in the study. Forty-one percent were infected by T. cruzi, and the most frequent country of origin was Bolivia. All T. cruzi infected patients were in chronic stages of infection. 19% of cases had cardiac disorders and 9% had digestive disorders.

Conclusions: A high percentage of participants in this study were infected by T. cruzi and various factors were found to be associated to the infection. It is important to improve clinical and epidemiological knowledge of T. cruzi infection in non-endemic countries and to develop appropriate screening and treatment protocols in these settings.

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Comment in

  • Chagas disease in Barcelona, Spain.
    Rodriguez-Morales AJ, Silvestre J, Cazorla-Perfetti DJ. Rodriguez-Morales AJ, et al. Acta Trop. 2009 Oct;112(1):86-7. doi: 10.1016/j.actatropica.2009.04.014. Epub 2009 May 7. Acta Trop. 2009. PMID: 19427298 No abstract available.

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