Trypanosoma cruzi-associated cerebrovascular disease: a case-control study in Eastern Colombia.
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.
Leon-Sarmiento
Fidias E
FE
UIS-Santander University School of Medicine, Bucaramanga, Colombia. leonf@ninds.nih.gov
Mendoza
Eder
E
Torres-Hillera
Martin
M
Pinto
Neyla
N
Prada
Janette
J
Silva
Clara A
CA
Vera
Silvia J
SJ
Castillo
Erwin
E
Valderrama
Vladimir
V
Prada
Didier G
DG
Bayona-Prieto
Jaime
J
Garcia
Ingrid
I
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*