Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Oct;83(4):891-5.
doi: 10.4269/ajtmh.2010.09-0543.

Survey of obstetrician-gynecologists in the United States about Chagas disease

Jennifer R Verani  1 , Susan P Montgomery, Jay Schulkin, Britta Anderson, Jeffrey L Jones
Affiliations

Survey of obstetrician-gynecologists in the United States about Chagas disease

Jennifer R Verani et al. Am J Trop Med Hyg. 2010 Oct.

Abstract

Chagas disease affects an estimated 300,000 people in the United States, and as many as 300 congenital infections are estimated to occur annually. The level of knowledge about Chagas disease among obstetricians-gynecologists in the United States has not been assessed. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists surveyed a representative sample of 1,000 members about Chagas disease. Among 421 respondents, 68.2% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 63.5-72.6) described their knowledge level about Chagas disease as "very limited." Only 8.8% (95% CI = 6.2-12.0) knew the risk of congenital infection, and 7.4% (95% CI = 5.1-10.4) were aware that both acute and chronic maternal infections can lead to congenital transmission. The majority of respondents (77.9%; 95% CI = 73.5-81.9) reported "never" considering a diagnosis of Chagas disease among their patients from endemic countries. Most of those who did consider the diagnosis did so "rarely." Knowledge of Chagas disease among obstetricians-gynecologists in the United States is limited. Greater awareness may help to detect treatable congenital Chagas cases.

PubMed Disclaimer

References

    1. Pan American Health Organization . Estimación cuantitativa de la enfermedad de Chagas en las Américas. Montevideo, Uruguay: Organizacion Panamericana de la Salud; 2006.
    1. WHO . Control of Chagas Disease. Geneva: World Health Organization; 2002.
    1. Remme JHF, Feenstra P, Lever PR, Médici A, Morel C, Noma M, Ramaiah KD, Richards F, Seketeli A, Schmunis G, van Brakel WH, Vassall A. In: Disease Control Priorities in Developing Countries. 2nd ed. Jamison DT, Breman JG, Measham AR, Alleyne G, Claeson M, Evans DB, Jha P, Mills A, Musgrove P, editors. New York, NY: Oxford University Press; 2006. pp. 433–450. (Tropical diseases targeted for elimination: Chagas disease, lymphatic filariasis, onchocerciasis, and leprosy).
    1. Herwaldt BL. Laboratory-acquired parasitic infections from accidental exposures. Clin Microbiol Rev. 2001;14:659–688. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Pereira KS, Schmidt FL, Guaraldo AM, Franco RM, Dias VL, Passos LA. Chagas' disease as a foodborne illness. J Food Prot. 2009;72:441–446. - PubMed

Publication types

MeSH terms