[Clinical presentation of chronic Chagas disease in elderly individuals].
This study had the aim of evaluating the clinical presentation of chronic Chagas disease among the elderly. It was a retrospective analysis of clinical records at an outpatient referral service. The sample was divided into two groups: elderly (>or= 60 years old) and non-elderly. Sex, comorbidities, clinical form, electrocardiogram and serological titers were evaluated. In the elderly group (61 cases), the mean age was 66.03+/-5 years; 67.2% were female; 59% presented comorbidities (most frequently systemic arterial hypertension, in 39.3%); 1.6% had the indeterminate clinical form, 88.5% the cardiac form and 36% the digestive form; and abnormalities were frequently found on electrocardiograms: 41% presented anterosuperior left bundle branch block (AS-LBBB), 32.8% presented right bundle branch block (RBBB) and 22.9% presented ventricular ectopic beats (VEB). In the non-elderly group (61 cases), the mean age was 39.30+/-8.36 years; 54.1% were female; 50.8% presented comorbidities (most frequently systemic arterial hypertension, in 26.2%); 18% had the indeterminate clinical form (p<0.05), 78.7% the cardiac form and 32.8% the digestive form; and abnormalities were frequently found on electrocardiogram: 24.6% presented AS-LBBB, 21.3% RBBB and 18% VEB. It was concluded that there were no clinical differences between elderly and non-elderly Chagas patients. The indeterminate clinical form predominated in patients less than 60 years old.
de Almeida
Eros Antonio
EA
Grupo de Estudos em doença de Chagas, Faculdade de Ciências Médicas, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, SP. eros@fcm.unicamp.br
Barbosa Neto
Ruy Madsen
RM
Guariento
Maria Elena
ME
Wanderley
Jamiro da Silva
Jda S
de Souza
Milton Lopes
ML
D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000175:diagnosis; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000145:classification / Q000175:diagnosis*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D004562:Electrocardiography; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies