Abstract
The prevalence and clinical forms of Trypanosoma cruzi were evaluated among blood donor candidates attended at a general hospital in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from January 1997 to April 1999. The investigation was done by means of the indirect hemagglutination test and was confirmed via ELISA. Data were collected from clinical examinations, conventional electrocardiogram, chest radiography and echocardiography. The results showed that despite Trypanosoma cruzi prevalence of 1.17% (128 patients), mainly in males aged 40 years or over, 70.8% of these patients, mainly males aged 19 to 39 years, demonstrated abnormalities that allowed the diagnosis of cardiopathy and/or esophagopathy. This once again corroborates the importance of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in urban centers.
Highlights
Chagas disease is a tissue and hematological infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by a hematophagous insect of the Triatominae subfamily
The results demonstrated Trypanosoma cruzi prevalence of 1.2%, indicating that 128 of the examined patients were seropositive for the parasite
The results showed that the symptoms and abnormalities observed in the physical examination and the clinical forms were more frequent among older patients
Summary
Chagas disease is a tissue and hematological infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by a hematophagous insect of the Triatominae subfamily. It was traditionally considered to be a rural problem, but it is today undergoing epidemiological modification due to the intense rural exodus that has been taking place. An urban problem is arising because of the possibility of parenteral transmission. The clinical-pathological evolution of the disease is divided into two phases: an acute but usually benign phase of short evolution, with parasites in the tissues and blood; and the chronic prob-. 8 0 8 Trypanosoma cruzi in blood donors. Silveira HJ et al lem (undetermined form), with the presence of a few parasites and, usually, long evolution. Diagnosis of the clinical form, by means of the evaluation of clinical and complementary examinations, allows the risk of complications and need for specific treatment to be stratified
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