From the Guidelines
Chagas' disease symptoms can be severe and life-threatening, particularly in the chronic phase, where cardiac complications can lead to death, emphasizing the need for early diagnosis and treatment. The disease progresses through three phases: acute, indeterminate, and chronic, with distinct symptoms in each phase 1.
Acute Phase Symptoms
In the acute phase, patients may experience:
- Fever
- Malaise
- Edema of the face and lower extremities
- Generalized lymphadenopathy
- Hepatosplenomegaly
- Muscles, including the heart, are often heavily parasitized, and severe myocarditis develops in a small proportion of symptomatic patients 1.
Indeterminate Phase
The indeterminate phase is characterized by:
- No symptoms
- Lifelong, low-grade parasitemias in association with antibodies
- Subtle signs of cardiac or gastrointestinal involvement long before the disease becomes symptomatic 1.
Chronic Phase Symptoms
The chronic phase, which develops in approximately 10% to 30% of infected people, can lead to:
- Cardiac complications, such as irregular heartbeat, heart failure, and cardiac arrest
- Digestive problems, including enlarged esophagus or colon causing difficulty swallowing or severe constipation
- Neurological issues 1.
Treatment and Management
Treatment involves antiparasitic medications, and early diagnosis is crucial as the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi multiplies in the body before causing organ damage, and treatment becomes less effective as the disease progresses 1. The overall prognosis for patients with Chagas cardiomyopathy and heart failure is poor, with 50% of patients dying within a period of 4 years, highlighting the importance of prompt and effective management 1.
From the Research
Chagas' Disease Symptoms
The symptoms of Chagas' disease are not explicitly described in the provided studies. However, the following information can be gathered:
- Chagas' disease is a systemic and chronic parasitic infection that can lead to long-term sequelae, such as heart and gastrointestinal dysfunction 2.
- The disease can cause various symptoms, including mucocutaneous, digestive, and neuropsychiatric events, as well as arthralgia, dyspnoea, sensitive neuropathy, and pruritus 3.
- The symptoms can be severe enough to require treatment interruption 3.
Treatment-Related Symptoms
The studies also describe symptoms related to the treatment of Chagas' disease:
- Benznidazole and nifurtimox, the two currently available drugs for Chagas' disease treatment, can cause adverse events, including mucocutaneous and digestive symptoms 3, 4.
- Nifurtimox can cause more adverse events than benznidazole, including neuropsychiatric events 3.
- The treatment can also cause arthralgia, dyspnoea, sensitive neuropathy, and pruritus, which can be independent predictors of treatment interruption 3.
Disease Progression
The progression of Chagas' disease can lead to serious health consequences: