American trypanosomiasis and electrocardiographic alterations among industrial workers in São Paulo, Brazil.
In this article, we evaluate electrocardiographic (ECG) alterations among urban workers from a mechanical-metallurgical industry in Sao Paulo, Brazil. In a cross-sectional survey carried out in 1980, we found 2.2% positive serological testing for Trypanosoma cruzi infection among 27,081 workers. A comparison between seropositive workers and a random sample of seronegative workers frequency-matched by age and occupation revealed that seropositive workers had a much lower educational level, and that a higher proportion of seropositive workers had ECG abnormalities (42.7%) when compared to those negative for T. cruzi infection (19.8%). The high frequency of ECG abnormalities suggests the need to provide medical assistance to these workers, without any kind of discrimination and to bring in a form of management that would decrease this dangerous risk to the workers and people around them.
Goldbaum
Moisés
M
Departamento de Doenças Infecciosas e Parasitárias, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade de São Paulo, SP, Brazil. mgoldbau@usp.br
Ajimura
Fabio Yoshito
FY
Litvoc
Júlio
J
Carvalho
Silvino Alves de
SA
Eluf-Neto
José
J
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D004522:Educational Status; D004562:Electrocardiography; D006321:Heart / Q000503:physiopathology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008669:Metallurgy; D008875:Middle Aged; D012307:Risk Factors