“…In addition, there is apparent suppression of the parasitemia with the current antiparasitic treatment (289) (290) . In turn, the rates of cure and their confirmation depend on several factors, such as the phase and the duration of disease, the age of the patient, the tests used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy, the duration of follow-up after treatment, associated conditions, and the susceptibility of the specific T. cruzi strain to antiparasitic drugs.…”
Section: Antiparasitic Treatment Of Chagas Diseasementioning
“…In addition, there is apparent suppression of the parasitemia with the current antiparasitic treatment (289) (290) . In turn, the rates of cure and their confirmation depend on several factors, such as the phase and the duration of disease, the age of the patient, the tests used to evaluate therapeutic efficacy, the duration of follow-up after treatment, associated conditions, and the susceptibility of the specific T. cruzi strain to antiparasitic drugs.…”
Section: Antiparasitic Treatment Of Chagas Diseasementioning
“…Several clinical studies have been conducted and hundreds of patients have been treated with nifurtimox or benznidazole, with variations in the results between the studies and the regions where they were carried out. The average cure rate among acute and recent cases is 80%, while it is less than 20% among chronic cases [23][24][25] . A pilot study, the Benefit project -Benznidazole Evaluation for Interruping Trypanosomiasis -an international, multicenter, double-bind, placebo-controlled trial of tripanocidal chronic Chagas heart disease is in course 40,41 .…”
Section: Drugs In Use and New Strategies For Treating Chagas Diseasementioning
confidence: 99%
“…Since 1912, numerous drugs have been used experimentally and in clinical trials for treating Chagas disease [23][24][25]27 35 . On the other hand, in a multicenter study, was demonstrated that treatment with benznidazole had the same suppressive action on parasitemia over 30 or 60 days of treatment 36 .…”
Section: Drugs In Use and New Strategies For Treating Chagas Diseasementioning
confidence: 99%
“…Knowledge of these variations needs to be improved at both national and international level. Another challenge is the indeterminate form of Chagas disease defined since Chagas 5 and validated by the Brazilian Society of Tropical Medicine 89 as asymptomatic human infection by T. cruzi without ECG and Rx abnormality in the heart, esophagus or colon 25 . Even though some abnormalities may appear in the ECG and in the echocardiogram.…”
This study consists of a broad review on what is known and what should be improved regarding knowledge of Chagas disease, not only through analysis on the main studies published on the topics discussed, but to a large extent based on experience of this subject, acquired over the past 50 years (1961-2011). Among the subjects covered, we highlight the pathogenesis and evolution of infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, drugs in use and new strategies for treating Chagas disease; the serological tests for the diagnosis and the controls of cure the infection; the regional variations in prevalence, morbidity and response to treatment of the disease; the importance of metacyclogenesis of T. cruzi in different species of triatomines and its capacity to transmit Chagas infection; the risks of adaptation of wild triatomines to human dwellings; the morbidity and need for a surveillance and control program for Chagas disease in the Amazon region and the need to prioritize initiatives for controlling Chagas disease in Latin America and Mexico and in non-endemic countries, which is today a major international dilemma. Finally, we raise the need for to create a new initiative for controlling Chagas disease in the Gran Chaco, which involves parts of Argentina, Bolivia and Paraguay.
“…However, 40% can develop organ involvement a long time after the acute infection, characterized by myocardiopathy, megaesophagus, and megacolon. 51 The prevalence of Chagas/HIV coinfection around the world is difficult to establish. 52 Almeida et al 53 published a study involving 716 patients with HIV treated in a University Hospital in Brazil.…”
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.