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Review
. 2020 Oct 13;15(1):69.
doi: 10.5334/gh.891.

COVID-19: Implications for People with Chagas Disease

Ezequiel José Zaidel  1   2 , Colin J Forsyth  3 , Gabriel Novick  4   5 , Rachel Marcus  6 , Antonio Luiz P Ribeiro  7   8 , Maria-Jesus Pinazo  9 , Carlos A Morillo  10 , Luis Eduardo Echeverría  11 , Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda  12 , Pierre Buekens  13 , Pablo Perel  14   15 , Sheba K Meymandi  16 , Kate Ralston  14 , Fausto Pinto  14   17 , Sergio Sosa-Estani  3   18
Affiliations
Review

COVID-19: Implications for People with Chagas Disease

Ezequiel José Zaidel et al. Glob Heart. .

Abstract

As the global COVID-19 pandemic advances, it increasingly impacts those vulnerable populations who already bear a heavy burden of neglected tropical disease. Chagas disease (CD), a neglected parasitic infection, is of particular concern because of its potential to cause cardiac, gastrointestinal, and other complications which could increase susceptibility to COVID-19. The over one million people worldwide with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy require special consideration because of COVID-19's potential impact on the heart, yet the pandemic also affects treatment provision to people with acute or chronic indeterminate CD. In this document, a follow-up to the WHF-IASC Roadmap on CD, we assess the implications of coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 and Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of CD. Based on the limited evidence available, we provide preliminary guidance for testing, treatment, and management of patients affected by both diseases, while highlighting emerging healthcare access challenges and future research needs.

Keywords: COVID-19; Chagas Disease; Neglected Tropical Disease.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors have no competing interests to declare.

References

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