Chagas disease is independently associated with brain atrophy.
Chagas disease (CD) remains a major cause of cardiomyopathy and stroke in developing countries. Brain involvement in CD has been attributed to left ventricular dysfunction, resulting in chronic brain ischemia due to hypoperfusion and/or embolic infarcts. However, cognitive impairment in CD may occur independently of cardiac disease. Therefore, we aimed to investigate head computed tomography (CT) findings in patients with Chagas disease cardiomyopathy (CDC) in comparison with other cardiomyopathies (OC). We studied 73 patients with CDC (n = 41) or OC (n = 32) matched for age and gender. These patients underwent head CT, rated by an investigator blinded to all clinical information. Head CT was rated for the presence of lacunar or territorial infarcts, as well as for measuring the total volumes of the brain, cerebellum and ventricles. Total brain volume was smaller in CDC as compared to OC patients (1,135 +/- 150 vs. 1,332 +/- 198 cm(3), P < 0.001). Cerebellar and ventricular volumes did not differ between the groups. The prevalence of brain infarcts did not differ significantly between the groups. Chagas disease was the only independent predictor of brain atrophy in the multivariable analysis (OR = 1.38; 95% CI = 1.06-1.79, P = 0.017). Chagas disease is associated with brain atrophy independent of structural cardiac disease related to cardiomyopathy. Brain atrophy, rather than multiple infarcts, may represent the main anatomical substrate of cognitive impairment in Chagas disease.
Jamary
J
Oliveira-Filho
Rodrigo M
RM
Vieira-de-Melo
Paulo S O
PS
Reis
Amanda M
AM
Lacerda
Iuri S
IS
Neville
Carolina
C
Cincura
Daniela F
DF
Menezes
Leila C
LC
Viana
Pedro A P
PA
Jesus
Antonio A
AA
Lopes
Francisco J F B
FJ
Reis
Karen L
KL
Furie
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000818:Animals; D001284:Atrophy / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D001921:Brain / Q000469:parasitology / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology; D009202:Cardiomyopathies / Q000150:complications / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D015984:Causality; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000150:complications* / Q000503:physiopathology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications*; D003072:Cognition Disorders / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging / Q000469:parasitology* / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011237:Predictive Value of Tests; D014057:Tomography, X-Ray Computed; D014349:Trypanosoma cruzi; D018487:Ventricular Dysfunction, Left / Q000469:parasitology / Q000503:physiopathology