title: Prevalence and risk factors for Chagas disease in pregnant women in Casanare, Colombia.
abstract: Knowledge of the prevalence and risk factors associated with maternal infection is the first step to develop a surveillance system for congenital transmission of Chagas disease. We conducted a cross-sectional study in Casanare, a disease-endemic area in Colombia. A total of 982 patients were enrolled in the study. A global prevalence of Trypanosoma cruzi infection of 4.0% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.8-5.3%) was found. Multivariate analysis showed that the most important risk-associated factors were age > 29 years (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 3.4, 95% CI = 0.9-12.4), rural residency (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.0-4.6), low education level (aOR = 10.2, 95% CI = 1.6-82.7), and previous knowledge of the vector (aOR = 2.2, 95% CI = 1.0-4.9). Relatives and siblings of infected mothers showed a prevalence of 9.3%. These findings may help physicians to investigate congenital cases, screen Chagas disease in siblings and relatives, and provide early treatment to prevent the chronic complications of Chagas disease.
authors.affiliation: Grupo de Parasitología, Instituto Nacional de Salud, Bogotá, Colombia. zcucunuba@ins.gov.co
authors.forename: Zulma M
authors.initials: ZM
authors.lastname: Cucunubá
authors.forename: Astrid C
authors.initials: AC
authors.lastname: Flórez
authors.forename: Angela
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cárdenas
authors.forename: Paula
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Pavía
authors.forename: Marleny
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Montilla
authors.forename: Rodrigo
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Aldana
authors.forename: Katherine
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Villamizar
authors.forename: Lyda C
authors.initials: LC
authors.lastname: Ríos
authors.forename: Rubén S
authors.initials: RS
authors.lastname: Nicholls
authors.forename: Concepción J
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Puerta
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003105:Colombia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000453:epidemiology*; D015995:Prevalence; D012307:Risk Factors