chagas disease…

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kissing bug, antibodies, american trypanosomiasis, chagas disease, insect-transmitted parasitic disease common in south, central america, chagas disease, trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite related, african trypanosome that causes, sleeping sickness, spread by reduvid bugs, the major health problems in south america, where 20 million people, infected, due to immigration, 500,000 people, believed to be infected, risk factors, chagas disease include living in central, south america, poverty, living, hut, reduvid bugs live, in the walls, receiving a blood transfusion, a person who carries the parasite, does not have active chagas disease, chagas disease has two phases, acute, chronic, acute phase, have no symptoms, have very mild symptoms, the acute phase include swelling, reddening, site of infection, blood-sucking insect caused the initial infection, followed by swelling of one eye, lymph nodes that drain the area, the insect bite, become swollen, the parasite spreads, bite site, patient develops fever, malaise, generalized swelling, the lymph nodes, liver, spleen, become enlarged, disease goes into remission, acute phase, become chronic, no further symptoms, many years, symptoms finally develop, appear, heart disease, cardiomyopathy, digestive abnormalities, patients, develop congestive heart failure, swallowing difficulties the first symptom of digestive disturbances, lead to malnutrition, patients, parasitic infection, the colon, experience abdominal pain, constipation, death, heart disease, history of exposure in an area where chagas disease is known to occur, swollen red area at site of previous insect bite, enlarged lymph nodes, swelling of one eye, fever, irregular heartbeat, arrhythmia, rapid heartbeat, tachycardia, swallowing difficulties, physical examination, confirm the symptoms, demonstrate signs of heart failure, cardiomyopathy, chronic form, peripheralblood smear demonstrates motile trypanosomes, in the acute form, blood culture demonstrates trypanosoma cruzi, in the acute form, elisa, past infection, trypanosoma cruzi, in the chronic form, acute phase, benznidazole has been shown to be effective, experimental treatment, nifurtimox, treating the chronic phase, antibiotics is not helpful, symptoms of heart, intestinal disease, 30% of infected, untreated people, develop chronic, symptomatic chagas disease, take more than 20 years, time, the original infection to develop heart, digestive problems, abnormal heart rhythms, arrythmias, ventricular tachycardia, sudden death, once congestive heart failure develops, death, occurs, several years, cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, enlargement, the esophagus, megaesophagus, swallowing difficulty, enlargement, the colon, megacolon, constipation, abdominal pain, symptoms suggestive of chagas disease develop, insect control, insecticides, housing structures less conducive to high insect populations, help control spread, blood banks in central, south america screen donors, previous exposure, parasite, blood is discarded donor tests positive, the incidence of chagas disease is low, in the us, blood banks here, not screen donors, chagas disease.