Chagas disease: an overview of clinical and epidemiological aspects

Abstract

Chagas disease, caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, is a serious health problem in Latin America and is an emerging disease in non-endemic countries. In recent decades, the epidemiological profile of the disease has changed due to new patterns of immigration and successful control in its transmission, leading to the urbanization and globalization of the disease. Dilated cardiomyopathy is the most important and severe manifestation of human chronic Chagas disease and is characterized by heart failure, ventricular arrhythmias, heart blocks, thromboembolic phenomena, and sudden death. This article will present an overview of the clinical and epidemiological aspects of Chagas disease. It will focus on several clinical aspects of the disease, such as chronic Chagas disease without detectable cardiac pathology, as well as dysautonomia, some specific features, and the principles of treatment of chronic cardiomyopathy.

Keywords: ChD; Chagas disease; E/e'; ECG; ICD; LV; VT; dilated cardiomyopathy; early transmitral flow velocity to the early diastolic velocity of the mitral annulus; electrocardiogram; heart failure; implantable cardioverter-defibrillator; left ventricle/ventricular; ventricular tachycardia.