title: Immunoneuroendocrine alterations in patients with progressive forms of chronic Chagas disease.
abstract: We studied the features of parallel immunoneuroendocrine responses in patients with different degrees of chronic Chagas myocarditis (indeterminate, mild/moderate or severe). A systemic inflammatory scenario was evident in patients with severe myocarditis compared to healthy subjects. This was paralleled by a disrupted activation of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis, characterized by decreased concentrations of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-s) and an unbalanced cortisol/DHEA-s ratio, reinforcing the view that severe Chagas disease is devoid of an adequate anti-inflammatory milieu, likely involved in pathology. Our study constitutes the first demonstration of neuroendocrine disturbances, in parallel to a systemic inflammatory profile, during progressive human Chagas disease.
authors.affiliation: Instituto de Inmunología, Facultad de Ciencias Médicas, Universidad Nacional de Rosario, Argentina. perez.ana@conicet.gov.ar
authors.forename: A R
authors.initials: AR
authors.lastname: Pérez
authors.forename: S D
authors.initials: SD
authors.lastname: Silva-Barbosa
authors.forename: L R
authors.initials: LR
authors.lastname: Berbert
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Revelli
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Beloscar
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Savino
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Bottasso
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000276:immunology* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D018450:Disease Progression; D005260:Female; D019382:Human Growth Hormone / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D018836:Inflammation Mediators / Q000502:physiology*; D020381:Interleukin-17 / Q000502:physiology; D015850:Interleukin-6 / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D055099:Neuroendocrine Cells / Q000276:immunology / Q000378:metabolism / Q000473:pathology; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D018836:Inflammation Mediators; D020381:Interleukin-17; D015850:Interleukin-6; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019382:Human Growth Hormone