title: [Chagas disease in the Chilean altiplane. Epidemiological, parasitological, and clinical aspects].
abstract: Chagas' disease is endemo-enzootic in periurban and rural sections of the first seven (18 degrees 30'-34 degrees 36' South lat.), out of the thirteen political-administrative regions of Chile. Permanent inhabited localities situated at different altitudes over the sea level (OSL) are classified in: coastal settlement (0-1,499 m OSL), intermediate settlement (1,500-3,000 m OSL) and altiplano settlement (> 3,000 m OSL). A total of 1,558 dwellings and their occupants from regions I and II were surveyed in 1982-1984 for different epidemiological Trypanosoma cruzi infection parameters. Hence, 261 dwellings, 189 domestic mammals and 517 people (ages 5- > or = 60 years) from the Altiplano settlement were studied. The results obtained were: 4(1.5%) and 2(0.8%) of dwellings infested with Triatoma infestans, according to occupants information and by observation of direct evidences respectively; 8(4.2%) animals (1 dog, 4 goats and 3 sheep) with a positive hemagglutination test (IHAT) for Chagas' disease; 21 people (4.1%) with a positive IHAT; 4(19.0%) and 3(14.3%), out of the 21 IHAT positive individuals with all types of electrocardiogram (EKG) abnormalities and EKG abnormalities suggestive of a chagasic etiology respectively, whereas 65(13.1%) and 15(3.0%), out of the 496 IHAT negative ones presented the same kinds of EKG abnormalities.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Microbiología y Parasitología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile, Santiago.
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Villarroel
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Schenone
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Contreras
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Rojas
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Hernández
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000531:Altitude; D000818:Animals; D002415:Cats; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002677:Chile / Q000453:epidemiology; D004285:Dogs; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006041:Goats; D006386:Hemagglutination Tests; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011817:Rabbits; D012756:Sheep; D014224:Triatoma / Q000469:parasitology; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000502:physiology
vernacular_title: Enfermedad de Chagas en el Altiplano chileno. Aspectos epidemiológicos, parasitológicos y clínicos.