Reactivation of Chagas disease by immunosuppressive therapy in a patient with systemic lupus erythematosus: report of an exceptional case

Abstract

Chagas disease is a zoonosis caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. It presents as a chronic evolution and produces high morbidity and mortality in countries where the disease is endemic, as in ours. The skin disease is very rare and results from the reactivation of latent disease as a result of immunosuppression, presenting with acute, atypical, and severe lesions. We describe the case of a patient who was unaware of being a carrier of Chagas disease and presented reactivation after immunosuppressive therapy instituted to treat her systemic lupus erythematosus.