title: Trypanosoma cruzi-associated cerebrovascular disease: a case-control study in Eastern Colombia.
abstract: Trypanosoma cruzi infection is a common cause of cardiopathy in South America leading it eventually to an established stroke; however, the association between T. cruzi infection itself and cerebrovascular disease is still unknown. We did a case-control study at Eastern Colombia and found that T. cruzi infection was more frequent and statistically significant in stroke cases (24.4%) than controls (1.9%), (Chi square: 21.72; OR: 16.13; 95% confidence interval (CI): 3.64-71.4; p<0.00001). After removing the seropositive patients with cardiological abnormalities, the significance still remained by multivariate analysis (p<0.05). This is the first case-control study that demonstrated a significant link between this infection and symptomatic cerebrovascular disease, mainly ischemic, regardless of cardiac abnormalities. Therefore, we recommend that patients with stroke must be screened for T. cruzi infection if they currently live or have lived in places where this parasite is considered endemic.
authors.affiliation: UIS-Santander University School of Medicine, Bucaramanga, Colombia. leonf@ninds.nih.gov
authors.forename: Fidias E
authors.initials: FE
authors.lastname: Leon-Sarmiento
authors.forename: Eder
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mendoza
authors.forename: Martin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Torres-Hillera
authors.forename: Neyla
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Janette
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Prada
authors.forename: Clara A
authors.initials: CA
authors.lastname: Silva
authors.forename: Silvia J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Vera
authors.forename: Erwin
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Valderrama
authors.forename: Didier G
authors.initials: DG
authors.lastname: Prada
authors.forename: Jaime
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bayona-Prieto
authors.forename: Ingrid
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Garcia
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D002561:Cerebrovascular Disorders / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000821:virology; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D016001:Confidence Intervals; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D012307:Risk Factors; D012737:Sex Factors; D020521:Stroke / Q000097:blood / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000469:parasitology*; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi / Q000302:isolation & purification*