Is Chagas disease autoimmune?

These results suggest that the inflammatory cardiomyopathy of Chagas' disease is a genetically driven autoimmune disease.

What type of disease is Chagas disease?

Chagas (CHAH-gus) disease is an inflammatory, infectious disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi. This parasite is found in the feces of the triatomine (reduviid) bug.

Is Chagas disease lifelong?

Chagas disease has an acute and a chronic phase. If untreated, infection is lifelong.

Is Chagas disease bacterial or viral?

It is caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, which is transmitted to animals and people by insect vectors and is found only in the Americas (mainly, in rural areas of Latin America where poverty is widespread).

Does Chagas disease go away?

It is transmitted by the triatomine bug (vector-borne), as well as orally (food-borne), through blood/blood products, mother-to-child (congenital) transmission, organ transplantation and laboratory accidents. Trypanosoma cruzi infection is curable if treatment is initiated soon after infection.

KILLER DISEASES | How Chagas Disease Affects the Body

Does Chagas affect the brain?

The involvement of the central nervous system (CNS) during human acute and chronic Chagas disease (CD) has been largely reported. Meningoencephalitis is a frequent finding during the acute infection, while during chronic phase the CNS involvement is often accompanied by behavioral and cognitive impairments.

Can you get tested for Chagas?

The diagnosis of Chagas disease can be made by observation of the parasite in a blood smear by microscopic examination. A thick and thin blood smear are made and stained for visualization of parasites.

What are the neurological symptoms of Chagas?

In the chronic phase, it presents as neuritis that results in altered tendon reflexes and sensory impairment, and is reported in up to 10% of the patients. Isolated cases of central nervous system involvement can also include dementia, confusion, chronic encephalopathy and sensitive and motor deficits.

How rare is Chagas disease?

Chagas disease is endemic in 21 countries in the Americas, and affects approximately 6 million people. In the Americas, Chagas disease show an annual incidence of 30,000 new cases average, 12,000 deaths per year, and 8,600 newborns become infected during gestation.

Why is Chagas a silent disease?

Chagas disease is prevalent among poor populations of continental Latin America but is increasingly being detected in other countries and continents. It is often termed as a “silent and silenced disease” as the infected majority have no symptoms or extremely mild symptom.

Who is the most common victim of Chagas?

People who have Chagas disease can be found anywhere in the world. However, transmission of the disease by kissing bugs (vectorborne transmission), only occurs in the Americas. Most people with Chagas disease became infected in rural areas of Mexico, Central America, and South America.

Should I be worried about Chagas disease?

Decades after being infected, about 30 percent of those who have Chagas develop serious health effects, including cardiomyopathy (disease of the heart muscle), heart failure, heart rhythm problems, and strokes. Less common are disorders that affect the digestive system.

How common is Chagas disease in USA?

More than 5 million people worldwide have Chagas disease. In the United States, there are estimated to be at least 300,000 cases of chronic Chagas disease among people originally from countries of Latin America where Chagas disease is endemic.

What organs are affected by Chagas?

In the heart, the disease can cause enlargement of the heart muscle, leading to heart failure. Other common problems are arrythmias and sudden cardiac arrest. In the gastro-intestinal system, there can be enlargement of the colon or the oesophagus, leading to digestive problems.

Can you cure chronic Chagas?

Once Chagas disease reaches the chronic phase, medications won't cure the disease. But, the drugs may be offered to people younger than age 50 because they may help slow the progression of the disease and its most serious complications.

What is the major concern for chronic Chagas disease patients?

Nearly 30% of chronically-infected patients become symptomatic, often with a latency of 10-30 years, developing life-threatening complications. Of those, nearly 90% develop Chagas heart disease, while the others manifest gastrointestinal disease and neuronal disorders.

How do they test for Chagas disease in humans?

Commonly used techniques include enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and immunofluorescent antibody test (IFA).

What organ is targeted during an infection with T. cruzi?

Bone Marrow Is a Target Organ in Orally Induced Trypanosoma cruzi Acute Infection. During the acute phase of oral T.

What does Chagas do to the heart?

Chagas cardiomyopathy represents the most frequent and serious complication of chronic Chagas disease, affecting about 20-30% of patients, potentially leading to heart failure, arrhythmias, thromboembolism, stroke and sudden death.

Can you donate blood if you have Chagas disease?

If you have ever been diagnosed with Chagas disease, you cannot donate blood.

What is the drug of choice for Chagas disease?

* Benznidazole is FDA-approved for the treatment of Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) caused by Trypanosoma cruzi in pediatric patients 2–12 years of age.

Can ivermectin cure Chagas disease?

Ivermectin and Chagas disease

To our knowledge, a connection between ivermectin and T. cruzi has never been described in the literature (in neither animal reservoirs nor humans). 1 17 To the best of our knowledge, there is currently no evidence that would justify CD treatment with ivermectin.

What state has the most kissing bugs?

Most of the world's kissing bugs are in Central and South America and Mexico. They've also been found in the United States in the lower 28 states, with higher concentrations in Texas, Arizona and New Mexico. Kissing bugs have been spotted a far north as Delaware, Ohio and Pennsylvania.

What is the difference between acute and chronic Chagas disease?

The natural history of Chagas disease is divided into two phases, acute and chronic. The acute phase lasts approximately 8 weeks, and usually causes mild or no symptoms. Patients with chronic Chagas disease have lifelong infection in absence of treatment. Spontaneous cure is extremely rare.

Why do we still have not a vaccine against Chagas disease?

Finally, Chagas disease primarily affects the less privileged segment of our society, and, currently, the transmission is limited to a few geographic areas. Hence, the effort and costs of developing this vaccine maybe not of economic interest to the pharmaceutical industry.