title: Myocardial dysfunction in chagasic patients with no apparent heart disease.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The Tei index simultaneously evaluates the ventricular systolic and diastolic functions. It has a good correlation with hemodynamic data and has enabled the detection of initial ventricular function alterations of different etiologies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To study initial biventricular function alterations in chagasic patients with no apparent heart disease, using the Tei index.
  
  
  METHODS
  Forty eight individuals were evaluated. Group 1 was comprised of 25 patients diagnosed with Chagas' disease with no apparent heart disease and normal echocardiogram; group 2 was comprised of 23 healthy individuals with negative serological tests for Chagas' disease.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The Tei index was significantly higher in the group of chagasic patients with no apparent heart disease when compared to that of the control group: left ventricular Tei index (0.48 +/-0.11 vs. 0.36 +/- 0.06, p < 0.001) , right ventricular Tei index (0.34 +/- 0.10 vs. 0.26 +/- 0.07, p = 0.001). The left and right ventricular Tei indexes were considered abnormal in 48% and 28% of the chagasic patients, respectively.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Chagasic patients with no apparent heart disease present early alterations of the right and left ventricles.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Clínica Médica, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Medicina Tropical, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Belo Horizonte, MG, Brasil.
authors.forename: Airandes de Sousa
authors.initials: Ade S
authors.lastname: Pinto
authors.forename: Braulio Muzzi Ribeiro de
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Oliveira
authors.forename: Fernando Antonio
authors.initials: FA
authors.lastname: Botoni
authors.forename: Antonio Luiz Pinho
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Ribeiro
authors.forename: Manoel Otavio da Costa
authors.initials: MO
authors.lastname: Rocha
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D016022:Case-Control Studies; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D016009:Chi-Square Distribution; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009200:Myocardial Contraction / Q000502:physiology*; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology; D018497:Ventricular Dysfunction, Right / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging* / Q000503:physiopathology