title: [Efficacy of nifurtimox for the treatment of chronic Chagas disease].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Most Chagas patients belong to the chronic indeterminate stage, in which pharmacological treatment has an inconclusive outcome.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To evaluate the efficacy of nifurtimox treatment in chronic asymptomatic Trypanosoma cruzi infection.
  
  
  METHODS
  We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of electronically published literature, with no language, type of study, age or gender restrictions, until September 2010. Studies of chronic asymptomatic Chagas disease patients treated exclusively with nifurtimox were included in the analysis. Treatment efficacy was evaluated using parasitological or serological parameters.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Of 463 identified studies, 7 were finally selected: 6 observational studies and 1 randomized clinical trial; 4 of the studies were in adults, 3 in children < 14 years. In 6 studies, outcomes were defined by serological techniques. Summary estimate (log odds) was 0.37 (CI9 -1.32 - 2.07).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The analyzed studies gave discordant results. Those might be explained by differences in the populations studied, follow-up periods, diagnostic techniques, and sample size. More studies are necessary to obtain conclusive results about treatment efficacy of nifurtimox in this clinical phase of T. cruzi infection.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Salud Pública, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile. rifuentes@uc.cl
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Fuentes B
authors.forename: Mario
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Maturana A
authors.forename: Rolando
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: de la Cruz M
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000188:drug therapy*; D002648:Child; D002908:Chronic Disease; D006801:Humans; D009547:Nifurtimox / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D014344:Trypanocidal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*
chemical_list: D014344:Trypanocidal Agents; D009547:Nifurtimox