In a 7-year follow-up of 1,017 residents (42% seropositive), Trypanosoma cruzi infection led to progressive cardiac lesions and high mortality among adults with ventricular conduction defects.
Cohort (n=1,017)
No
Does early electrocardiography predict mortality and progressive cardiac lesions in patients with asymptomatic Trypanosoma cruzi infection?
Early electrocardiography in asymptomatic Chagas' disease patients can identify those at high risk for progressive cardiac lesions and mortality.
The evolution of Chagas' cardiomyopathy is poorly understood. We therefore examined the development of cardiac lesions in a rural Brazilian community for a period of 7 years. Initially, 42% of 1017 residents were seropositive for infection with Trypanosoma cruzi. Age-specific infection rates indicated that most had become infected before the age of 20 years. On follow-up, it appeared that those persons who developed cardiac lesions did so soon after infection, since the incidence of right bundle branch block and other ventricular conduction defects (VCDs) was also highest before age 20 years. The progressive nature of these lesions was demonstrated by frequent development of additional electrocardiographic abnormalities and high mortality among infected adults with VCDs. In contrast, mortality was low and approximately the same for seropositive and seronegative adults under 60 years who had normal electrocardiograms. Electrocardiography during the early asymptomatic stage of infection was able to distinguish persons with potentially lethal cardiac lesions from those with a benign prognosis.
Maguire et al. (Mon,) conducted a cohort in Chagas' disease (n=1,017). Trypanosoma cruzi infection vs. Seronegative residents was evaluated on Development of cardiac lesions (ventricular conduction defects) and mortality. In a 7-year follow-up of 1,017 residents (42% seropositive), Trypanosoma cruzi infection led to progressive cardiac lesions and high mortality among adults with ventricular conduction defects.