Stroke in Asymptomatic Trypanosoma cruzi-Infected Patients

BACKGROUND: The knowledge about the natural history of stroke in Chagas disease is incomplete. METHODS: Vascular risk factors and stroke subtypes of asymptomatic Trypanosoma cruzi-infected patients with no clinical evidence of heart failure were assessed. They were compared with chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy patients who suffered a stroke and with a control group of 60 T. cruzi-noninfected stroke patients. Eighty-six consecutive chagasic stroke patients (mean age: 57.4 years; 64% females) were studied. RESULTS: 38.4% of chagasic stroke patients had asymptomatic T. cruzi infection. Smoking was more frequent in asymptomatic chagasic stroke patients (21.2 vs. 5.7%; p = 0.04). Prevalence of hypertension, diabetes and prior stroke was similar in both groups. Small-vessel infarction (15.6 vs. 3.8%) and large-vessel atherosclerosis (9.4 vs. 3.8%) were significantly more frequent in asymptomatic than in symptomatic T. cruzi-infected stroke patients (p = 0.001). Nevertheless, their frequency was even higher in T. cruzi-noninfected stroke patients (36.7 and 13.3%, respectively). Apical aneurysm (27.3%), left atrial dilatation (12.1%), left ventricle hypokinesia (9.4%) and right bundle branch block (36.4%) were also detected in asymptomatic T. cruzi-infected stroke patients. CONCLUSIONS: Ischemic stroke may be the first manifestation of Chagas disease in asymptomatic patients with mild left ventricle dysfunction. Other noncardioembolic stroke subtypes can occur in asymptomatic T. cruzi-infected patients.