Covid-19 is a novel infectious disease whose spectrum of presentation ranges from absence of symptoms to widespread interstitial pneumonia associated with severe acute respiratory syndrome (SARS), leading to significant mortality. Given the systemic pattern of Covid-19, there are many factors that can influence patient's functional capacity after acute infection and the identification of such factors can contribute to the development of specific rehabilitation strategies. Pulmonary impairment is the primary cause of hospitalization due to Covid-19, and can progress to SARS as well as increase length of hospitalization. Moreover, cardiac involvement is observed in approximately 30% of hospitalized patients, with an increased risk of acute myocarditis, myocardial injury, and heart failure, which may compromise functional capacity in the long-term. Thromboembolic complications have also been reported in some patients with Covid-19 and are associated with a poor prognosis. Musculoskeletal complications may result from long periods of hospitalization and immobility, and can include fatigue, muscle weakness and polyneuropathy. Studies that address the functional capacity of patients after Covid-19 infection are still scarce. However, based on knowledge from the multiple systemic complications associated with Covid-19, it is reasonable to suggest that most patients, especially those who underwent prolonged hospitalization, will need a multiprofessional rehabilitation program. Further studies are needed to evaluate the functional impact and the rehabilitation strategies for patients affected by Covid-19.

Diversos estudos têm demonstrado um efeito benéfico do exercício de força sobre a redução da pressão arterial (PA) pós-exercício, mas ainda são escassas as pesquisas envolvendo pessoas hipertensas. Dessa forma, o presente estudo tem como objetivo comparar as respostas de PA em sujeitos hipertensos medicados após duas sessões de exercício de força com diferentes volumes de treinamento. Para tal, foram estudados 20 indivíduos de ambos os gêneros (61 ± 12 anos) com hipertensão controlada por fármacos e participantes de um programa de exercícios, porém sem experiência no treinamento de força. O estudo foi realizado em três dias não consecutivos. Primeiramente, foi determinada a carga de 10 repetições máximas em cada exercício da seqüência (supino reto, leg-press horizontal, remada em pé e rosca tríceps). Nos demais dias, os mesmos exercícios foram realizados com uma (SER1) ou três (SER3) séries. A aferição da PA foi executada pelo método auscultatório no momento pré-exercício, imediatamente após o término de cada sessão e durante 60 minutos após o término dos exercícios. A ANOVA de medidas repetidas identificou que em ambas as sessões os valores da PA sistólica (PAS) e diastólica (PAD), medidos imediatamente após o término dos exercícios, foram mais elevados (p < 0,05) que os do pré-exercício. O acompanhamento em 60 minutos exibiu, após SER1, uma redução dos valores de PAS apenas no 40º minuto, enquanto não foram encontradas reduções para a PAD. Já após SER3, observou-se uma queda dos níveis de PAS que perdurou por todo o período de monitorização. Para PAD, foram encontradas reduções apenas no 30º e 50º minuto pós-exercício. Conclui-se que uma sessão de treinamento de força pode promover reduções nos níveis de PAS em indivíduos hipertensos medicados e parece ser necessário um maior volume de treinamento para que tal efeito ocorra.

Cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy (CAN) is a debilitating condition that mainly occurs in long-standing type 2 diabetes patients but can manifest earlier, even before diabetes is diagnosed. CAN is a microvascular complication that results from lesions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nerve fibers, which innervate the heart and blood vessels and promote alterations in cardiovascular autonomic control. The entire mechanism is still not elucidated, but several aspects of the pathophysiology of CAN have already been described, such as the production of advanced glycation end products, reactive oxygen species, nuclear factor kappa B, and pro-inflammatory cytokines. This microvascular complication is an important risk factor for silent myocardial ischemia, chronic kidney disease, myocardial dysfunction, major cardiovascular events, cardiac arrhythmias, and sudden death. It has also been suggested that, compared to other traditional cardiovascular risk factors, CAN progression may have a greater impact on cardiovascular disease development. However, CAN might be subclinical for several years, and a late diagnosis increases the mortality risk. The duration of the transition period from the subclinical to clinical stage remains unknown, but the progression of CAN is associated with a poor prognosis. Several tests can be used for CAN diagnosis, such as heart rate variability (HRV), cardiovascular autonomic reflex tests, and myocardial scintigraphy. Currently, it has already been described that CAN could be detected even during the subclinical stage through a reduction in HRV, which is a non-invasive test with a lower operating cost. Therefore, considering that diabetes mellitus is a global epidemic and that diabetic neuropathy is the most common chronic complication of diabetes, the early identification and treatment of CAN could be a key point to mitigate the morbidity and mortality associated with this long-lasting condition.

Introduction:The benefit of a cardiac rehabilitation (CR) program for patients with Chagas heart failure (CHF) remains unclear. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the effects of CR for CHF patients. Methods: A single-arm pilot study, including 12 patients with CHF, was performed. Patients participated in an 8-month physical exercise intervention, comprising aerobic, strength, and stretching exercises (3 times per week, 60 minutes per session). Nutritional and pharmaceutical counseling were also performed. Functional capacity (cardiopulmonary exercise test), muscle respiratory strength (manovacuometry), and body composition (anthropometry and skinfolds) were evaluated at baseline, and after 4 and 8 months of intervention. Cardiac function (echocardiography), biomarkers (lipid profile, glucose, and glycated hemoglobin) and quality of life (Minnesota Living with Heart Failure Questionnaire) were assessed at baseline and at the end of the intervention. Results: Seven of 12 patients included in the study completed the 8-month follow-up period. Only 2 moderate adverse events occurred during the exercise training. Functional capacity improved after 4 months of CR, while left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) and respiratory strength improved after 8 months. Patients with right ventricular (RV) dysfunction at baseline exhibited an improvement in functional capacity after 4 months, and improvements in left ventricular (LV) diastolic pressure, respiratory strength, and quality of life at the end of follow-up. Conversely, those with normal baseline RV function demonstrated LVEF increases that were not observed in patients with RV dysfunction. Conclusions: CR was feasible, safe, and has important clinical benefits for patients with CHF, specifically for cardiac function and muscle respiratory strength.

Benznidazole (BZN) is the main trypanocidal drug used to treat Chagas disease, and the evidence supporting the benefits of BZN use during the chronic phase of the disease will favor its use in millions of individuals. However, more than 30% of patients treated with BZN may suffer adverse drug reactions (ADRs), and the development of tools to identify those patients at risk is highly desirable. In the present study, we aimed to identify predictive factors for ADRs in Chagas disease patients treated with BZN. Among 195 patients included in the study, 48.7% experienced ADRs and 31.3% had ADRs that caused BZN treatment discontinuation. Overall ADRs and ADRs that caused BZN treatment discontinuation were more common among women and in those who graduated from elementary school. Overall ADRs were also less frequent among black individuals. Based on logistic regression analysis, female sex (odds ratio [OR], 2.9; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.5 to 5.4), graduation from elementary school (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1 to 3.8), and white (OR, 5.0; 95% CI, 1.0 to 24.1) and mulatto (OR, 5.6; 95% CI, 1.1 to 28.7) races were considered to predict overall ADRs, and female sex (OR, 2.3; 95% CI, 1.2 to 4.3) was considered to predict ADRs that caused BZN treatment discontinuation. Graduation from elementary school also presented a tendency to predict ADRs that caused BZN treatment discontinuation (OR, 1.8; 95% CI, 0.9 to 3.6). The logistic regression (LR) models to predict ADRs to BZN described in this study may become important tools to minimize ADRs and improve patients' compliance and thus assist physicians treating patients with Chagas disease with BZN. E ven 100 years after it was first reported (1), Chagas disease remains a serious public health problem in Latin America, with a high social and economic burden (2, 3). Moreover, the prevalence of Chagas disease is increasing, mainly due to migration, in countries where it is not endemic, such as the United States and European countries (4-7).Benznidazole (BZN) is the main trypanocidal drug used to treat Chagas disease (8, 9), and the parasitological cure rate when patients are treated with BZN during the acute phase of the disease is almost 80% (10, 11). Although BZN effectiveness during the chronic phase of the disease remains uncertain (12)(13)(14), there is compelling evidence supporting the beneficial use of BZN even during the chronic phase of Chagas disease (13, 15), and some international guidelines are now advocating the use of BZN even among adults with chronic disease (16-18). However, adverse drug reactions (ADRs) occur in 30% to 87% of the patients treated with BZN (19-21), and 12% to 29% of patients fail to complete their full course of treatment (19-21). Therefore, the development of tools to identify patients with high probabilities of developing ADRs to BZN is highly desirable, as this strategy would improve compliance to BZN treatment and minimize complications (21,22).Logistic regression (LR) is a method often used to predict outcomes in health studies (23,24), and...

Background Chagas disease (CD) remains an important endemic disease in Latin America. However, CD became globalized in recent decades. The majority of the chronically infected individuals did not receive etiologic treatment for several reasons, among them the most conspicuous is the lack of access to diagnosis. The impact of trypanocidal treatment on CD chronic phase, without cardiac involvement (indeterminate form ICF), is yet to be determined. We aimed to evaluate the effect of trypanocidal treatment with benznidazole (BZN) on the rate of progression to Chagas heart disease in patients with ICF. Methods This is a retrospective cohort observational study including patients with ICF treated with BZN and compared to a group of non-treated patients matched for age, sex, region of origin, and the year of cohort entry. We reviewed the medical charts of all patients followed from May 1987 to June 2020 at the outpatient center of the Evandro Chagas National Institute of Infectious Diseases (INI) of the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (Fiocruz), Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Patients’ follow-up included at least one annual medical visit and one annual electrocardiogram (ECG). Echocardiographic exams were performed at baseline and during the follow-up. Disease progression from ICF to cardiac form was defined by changes in baseline ECG. Cumulative incidence and the incidence rate were described in the incidence analysis. Cox proportional hazards models were used to estimate hazard ratios and 95% confidence intervals for the association between BZN and CD progression, cardiovascular events or death. Findings One hundred and fourteen treated patients met the study inclusion criteria. A comparison group of 114 non-treated patients matched for age, sex, region of origin, and the year of cohort entry was also included, totalizing 228 patients. Most patients included in the study were male (70.2%), and their mean age was 31.3 (+7.4) years. Over a median follow-up of 15.1 years (ranging from 1.0 to 32.4), the cumulative CD progression incidence in treated patients was 7.9% vs. 21.1% in the non-treated group ( p = 0.04) and the CD progression rate was 0.49 per 1.000 patients/year in treated patients vs. 1.10 per 1.000 patients/year for non-treated patients ( p = 0.02). BZN treatment was associated with a decreased risk of CD progression in both unadjusted (HR 0.46; 95%CI 0.21 to 0.98) and adjusted (HR 0.43; 95%CI 0.19 to 0.96) models and with a decreased risk of occurrence of the composite of cardiovascular events only in the adjusted (HR 0.15; 95%CI 0.03 to 0.80) model. No association was observed between BZN treatment and mortality. Interpretation In a long-term follow-up, BZN treatment was associated with a decreased incidence of CD progression from ICF to the cardiac form and also with a decreased risk of cardiovascular events. Therefore, our results indicate that BZN treatment for C...

The low socioeconomic status and the physical limitations imposed by the disease presented an important impact on the QoL reduction among CD patients, especially on environment and physical domains. Strategies to improve QoL among CD patients should be tailored and consider many different variables to maximise improvements not only of patients' physical but also of their mental health.

Background Chagas disease (caused by Trypanosoma cruzi infection) evolves to chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) affecting 1.8 million people worldwide. This is the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, clinical trial designed to estimate efficacy and safety of selenium (Se) treatment in CCC. Methods 66 patients with CCC stages B1 (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF] > 45% and no heart failure; n = 54) or B2 (LVEF < 45% and no heart failure; n = 12) were randomly assigned to receive 100 mcg/day sodium selenite ( Se, n = 32) or placebo ( Pla, n = 34) for one year (study period: May 2014-September 2018). LVEF changes over time and adverse effects were investigated. Trial registration number: NCT00875173 (clinicaltrials.gov). Findings No significant differences between the two groups were observed for the primary outcome: mean LVEF after 6 (β = +1.1 p = 0.51 for Se vs Pla ) and 12 months (β = +2.1; p = 0.23). In a subgroup analysis, statistically significant longitudinal changes were observed for mean LVEF in the stage B2 subgroup (β= +10.1; p = 0.02 for Se [ n = 4] vs Pla [ n = 8]). Se treatment was safe for CCC patients, and the few adverse effects observed were similarly distributed across the two groups. Interpretation Se treatment did not improve cardiac function (evaluated from LVEF) in CCC. However, in the subgroup of patients at B2 stage, a potential beneficial influence of Se was observed. Complementary studies are necessary to explore diverse Se dose and/or associations in different CCC stages (B2 and C), as well as in A and B1 stages with longer follow-up. Funding Brazilian Ministry of Health, Fiocruz, CNPq, FAPERJ.