Abstract

MURILLO-GODINEZ, Guillermo. Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis). Med. interna Méx. [online]. 2018, vol.34, n.6, pp.959-970. ISSN 0186-4866.  https://doi.org/10.24245/mim.v34i6.2217.

Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis) is a zoonosis described in Brazil, in 1909, by Carlos Chagas. It affects about 20 million people distributed in all the countries of America, and due to migration, it is currently considered that the disease is globalized, so it has been diagnosed even in Australia, Japan, Canada and France. The causative agent is Trypanosoma cruzi, and the transmission routes are: vectorial (by means of a triatomine), congenital, oral, transfusional, by laboratory accidents, by transplants, and by lactation. The clinical picture has three phases: acute, latent and chronic. The acute phase is usually not serious, the latency phase can last up to 50 years, and the chronic phase is characterized by irreversible alterations, especially at the cardiac and digestive levels. There is still no satisfactory medical treatment. For what it represents a public health problem that doctors must take into account.

Keywords : Chagas disease; American trypanosomiasis; Trypanosoma cruzi.

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