title: Trypanocide treatment among adults with chronic Chagas disease living in Santa Fe city (Argentina), over a mean follow-up of 21 years: parasitological, serological and clinical evolution.
abstract: The efficacy of treatment with nifurtimox and/or benznidazole among adults with chronic Chagas disease with no previous electrocardiographic disturbances was evaluated over a mean follow-up of 21 years, by means of conventional serology, xenodiagnosis, clinical examination, electrocardiograms and chest X-ray. One hundred and eleven patients, between 17 and 46 years old, were studied: 54 underwent treatment (nifurtimox 27, benznidazole 27) and 57 remained untreated (control group). Xenodiagnosis was performed on 65% of them: 36/38 of the treated and 9/34 of the untreated patients had previous positive xenodiagnosis. Post-treatment, 133 xenodiagnoses were performed on 41 patients, all resulting negative. In the control group, 29 xenodiagnoses were performed on 14 patients; 2 resulted positive. Sera stored during the follow-up were simultaneously analyzed through conventional serology tests (IHA; DA-2ME; IIF). The serological evolution in the treated group was: a) 37% underwent negative seroconversion (nifurtimox 11, benznidazole 9); b) 27.8% decreased titers (nifurtimox 9, benznidazole 6), 9 showed inconclusive final serology (nifurtimox 7, benznidazole 2); c) 35.2% remained positive with constant titers (nifurtimox 7; benznidazole 12). The control group conserved the initial antibody levels during the follow-up. In the clinical evolution, 2/54 (3.7%) of the treated and 9/57 (15.8%) of the untreated patients showed electrocardiographic disturbances attributable to Chagas myocardiopathy, with a statistically relevant difference (p<0.05). Treatment caused deparasitation in at least 37% of the chronically infected adults and a protective effect on their clinical evolution.
authors.affiliation: Centro de Investigaciones sobre Endemias Nacionales, Facultad de Bioquímica y Ciencias Biológicas, Universidad Nacional del Litoral, Santa Fe, Argentina. dfabbro@fbcb.unl.edu.ar
authors.forename: Diana L
authors.initials: DL
authors.lastname: Fabbro
authors.forename: Mirtha L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Streiger
authors.forename: Enrique D
authors.initials: ED
authors.lastname: Arias
authors.forename: María L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Bizai
authors.forename: Mónica
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: del Barco
authors.forename: Norberto A
authors.initials: NA
authors.lastname: Amicone
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000097:blood / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004359:Drug Therapy, Combination; D004562:Electrocardiography; D004812:Epidemiologic Methods; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009547:Nifurtimox / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D009593:Nitroimidazoles / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D012698:Serologic Tests; D013997:Time Factors; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D020525:Xenodiagnosis
chemical_list: D009593:Nitroimidazoles; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D009547:Nifurtimox; C009999:benzonidazole