Key result
Chagas disease patients with no apparent cardiac involvement had a higher occurrence of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias compared to healthy controls (48% vs 23.7%).
Why the study?
Do Chagas disease patients with no apparent cardiac involvement have a higher frequency of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias and vagal dysfunction compared to healthy individuals?
Observational (n=113)
Do Chagas disease patients with no apparent cardiac involvement have a higher frequency of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias and vagal dysfunction compared to healthy individuals?
Absolute Event Rate: 48% vs 23.7%
Asymptomatic Chagas disease patients without apparent cardiac involvement exhibit significant arrhythmogenic substrates and vagal dysfunction, suggesting the presence of subclinical disease.
May indicate subclinical involvement in asymptomatic Chagas; leaves open need for longitudinal outcome studies before screening changes.
INTRODUCTION: Exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmia (EIVA) and autonomic imbalance are considered as early markers of heart disease in Chagas disease (ChD) patients. The objective of the present study was to verify the differences in the occurrence of EIVA and autonomic maneuver indexes between healthy individuals and ChD patients with no apparent cardiac involvement. METHODS: A total of 75 ChD patients with no apparent cardiac involvement, aged 44.7 (8.5) years, and 38 healthy individuals, aged 44.0 (9.2) years, were evaluated using echocardiography, symptom-limited treadmill exercise testing and autonomic function tests. RESULTS: The occurrence of EIVA was higher in the chagasic group (48%) than in the control group (23.7%) during both the effort and the recovery phases. Frequent ventricular contractions occurred only in the patient group. Additionally, the respiratory sinus arrhythmia index was significantly lower in the chagasic individuals compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: ChD patients with no apparent cardiac involvement had a higher frequency of EIVA as well as more vagal dysfunction by respiratory sinus arrhythmia. These results suggest that even when asymptomatic, ChD patients possess important arrhythmogenic substrates and subclinical disease.
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Costa et al. (2015) conducted an observational in Chagas disease (n=113). Chagas disease vs. Healthy individuals was evaluated on Occurrence of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmia (EIVA). Chagas disease patients with no apparent cardiac involvement had a higher occurrence of exercise-induced ventricular arrhythmias compared to healthy controls (48% vs 23.7%).
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