Chagas disease

Clinic

• Also known as American trypanosomiasis, is a tropical parasitic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi.

• Early stage: Fever, Lymphadenopathy, Headaches, or Swelling at the site of the bite
• After four to eight weeks, untreated individuals enter the chronic phase of disease, which in most cases does not result in further symptoms.
• Chronic infections develop heart disease in 10–30 years which can lead to heart failure. (Up to 45%)
• Digestive complications, including an enlarged esophagus or an Colon (Up to 21%)
• Nerve damage. (Up to 10%)

Signs / Symptoms

Chagas disease occurs in two stages:

Acute stage:

• Fever, malaise, headache
• Hepatosplenomegaly
• Lymphadenopathy
• Swelling of the right eye (Romaña's sign)
• Chagoma: Swollen nodule at the site of infection or elsewhere on the skin.
• Less than 1–5%, Myocarditis, Pericarditis, Encephalitis

Chronic stage:

30–40% affects heart or digestive system.

• Dilated cardiomyopathy: Palpitations, Fainting, due to Irregular heart function, Arrhythmias.
• Thromboembolism
• Chest pain associated with abnormalities in the microvasculature.
• Enlargement of the esophagus: Odynophagia or Dysphagia), Acid reflux, cough, and Weight loss.
• Enlargement of colon: Constipation, Severe blockage of the intestine or its blood supply.
• Up to 10% develop nerve damage :Numbness and altered reflexes or movement

Chronically infected individuals who become immunosuppressed due to HIV infection can have particularly severe and distinct disease, most commonly characterized by inflammation in the brain and surrounding tissue or brain abscesses. Symptoms vary widely based on the size and location of brain abscesses, but typically include fever, headaches, seizures, loss of sensation, or other neurological issues that indicate particular sites of nervous system damage. Occasionally, these individuals also experience acute heart inflammation, skin lesions, and disease of the stomach, intestine, or peritoneum.