“…Such alterations were less severe than those presented by patients with myocardial dysfunction, but still statistically significant. A possible explanation for this finding is the presence of myocardial degenerative impairment in the early stages of Chagas' disease 6,32 demonstrated by the alterations found within the myocyte nucleus, in the T-tubule system and in mitochondrias, as well as by the alterations in the functions of ATPase myosin, monoamine oxidase and succinate dehydrogenase enzymes, involved in the maintenance of cellular energy homeostasis 32 . The inflammatory process in Chagas' cardiomyopathy is also more intense and persistent than in idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy, accounting for the highest degree of fibrosis and microcirculatory impairment detected by comparative studies performed by biopsy in these two pathologies 33 .…”