Clinical and epidemiological profile of elderly patients with Chagas disease followed between 2005-2013 by pharmaceutical care service in Ceará State, Northeastern Brazil.
By controlling the transmission of Chagas disease, the challenge of providing assistance to millions of infected patients that reach old age arises. In this study, the socioeconomic, demographic and comorbidity records of all elderly chagasic patients followed at the Pharmaceutical Care Service of the Chagas Disease Research Laboratory were assessed. The information related to the clinical form of the disease was obtained from medical records provided by the Walter Cantídio University Hospital. The profile of the studied population was: women (50.5%); mean age of 67 years; retired (54.6%); married (51.6 %); high illiteracy rate (40.2%); and family income equal to the minimum wage (51.5%). The predominant clinical forms of Chagas disease were cardiac (65.3%) and indeterminate (14.7%). The main electrocardiographic changes were the right bundle branch block (41.0%), associated or not with the anterosuperior left bundle branch block (27.4%). The average number of comorbidities per patient was 2.23 ± 1.54, with systemic arterial hypertension being the main one found (67.0%). It was found that the elderly comprise a vulnerable group of patients that associate aging with cardiac and/or digestive disorders resulting from the evolution of Chagas disease and other comorbidities, which requires special attention from health services to ensure more appropriate medical and social care.
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Laíse dos Santos
Ldos S
Pereira
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Erlane Chaves
EC
Freitas
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Arduína Sofia Ortet de Barros Vasconcelos
AS
Fidalgo
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Mônica Coelho
MC
Andrade
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Darlan da Silva
Dda S
Cândido
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
José Damião
JD
da Silva Filho
Departamento de Patologia e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Vladimir
V
Michailowsky
Departamento de Análises Clínicas e Toxicológicas, Faculdade de Farmácia, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
Maria de Fátima
Mde F
Oliveira
Departamento de Patologia e Medicina Legal, Faculdade de Medicina, Universidade Federal do Ceará, Fortaleza, Ceará, Brazil.
José Ajax Nogueira
JA
Queiroz
D000368:Aged; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000453:epidemiology*; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010593:Pharmaceutical Services; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors