[Coronary arteriosclerosis and myocardial infarction in chronic Chagas' disease].
OBJECTIVE
To evaluate both the frequency of myocardial infarction and coronary atherosclerosis as well as the pathology of the later in necropsied chronic chagasic individuals.


METHODS
Systematized gross and light microscopy were performed in hearts, especially at the three main coronary arteries. Eighty-nine hearts were studied, 35 chronic chagasics and 54 nonchagasics, all from males. Statistical tests were used for frequency analysis.


RESULTS
Myocardial infarction occurred in 8.6% chagasics and in 7.4% nonchagasics. Coronary atherosclerosis was detected in 71.4% of chagasics and in 74.1% of nonchagasics. Its morphology was similar for both groups and indistinguishable from the classical descriptions of atherosclerosis. There were no cases showing lesions compatible with accelerated coronary atherosclerosis.


CONCLUSIONS
The frequency of myocardial infarction and coronary atherosclerosis was the same for both chagasics and nonchagasic individuals. The morphological findings for the studied arteriopathy were identical for the two considered groups. However, it seems that the frequency of myocardial infarction is higher in chagasics with normal coronary arteries (with or without minimal atherosclerotic lesions), as compared with nonchagasics.
Lopes
E R
ER
Faculdade de Medicina do Triângulo Mineiro, Uberaba, MG.
de Mesquita
P M
PM
de Mesquita
L F
LF
Chapadeiro
E
E
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002102:Cadaver; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000473:pathology*; D003324:Coronary Artery Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000473:pathology*
Aterosclerose coronariana e infarto do miocárdio em chagásicos crônicos.