CMR reveals myocardial injury in patients with Chagas disease for first time

Brazil: For the first time, the researchers in a study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association, have described myocardial injury shown by cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging in a group of patients with acute Chagas disease. The study reveals the importance of early detection and follow-up of cardiac impairment in patients with acute Chagas disease. 

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease that is considered a global health emergency. Most of the reports in the Amazon regions are of acute cases that are associated with oral transmission. João Marcos Bemfica Barbosa Ferreira, Universidade Nilton Lins, Manaus, Amazonas, Brazil, and colleagues aimed to investigate myocardial injury in patients with acute Chagas disease before and after treatment. 

For this purpose, the researchers evaluated 23 patients with acute Chagas disease in 3 different stages of progression. Group 1 had 12 patients evaluated during the acute phase, at the time of diagnosis, and 1 year after treatment. Group 2 had 11 patients in the late postacute phase who were evaluated 5.2 years on average after diagnosis and treatment. The researchers also performed ECGs with the Selvester score, 24‐hour Holter exam, and cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging.