Heart Failure Secondary to Chagas Disease: an Emerging Problem in Non-endemic Areas.
Chagas disease affects millions of people worldwide. Though the majority of infected individuals remain asymptomatic, approximately 30 % of patients progress to develop cardiac manifestations and eventual heart failure. While vectorial transmission occurs predominantly in South America, Central America, and Mexico, millions of people originally from these endemic regions immigrate to non-endemic countries in North America, Europe, and Asia. Outside of rare specialized centers, health-care providers lack experience diagnosing and treating this disease. This lack of experience likely leads to far fewer Chagas disease patients being diagnosed than what actually exist in non-endemic countries, with subsequent adverse effect on patient outcomes and health-care expenses. Underdiagnosis increases the risk of developing cardiomyopathy, associated heart failure, and life-threatening ventricular arrhythmias as the disease progresses.
Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, 14445 Olive View Dr., Sylmar, CA, 91342, USA.|Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, Heart and Vascular Institute, PO Box 112412, Al Maryah Island, Abu Dhabi, UAE.
Mahmoud
M
Traina
Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, 14445 Olive View Dr., Sylmar, CA, 91342, USA.
Sheba
S
Meymandi
Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease, Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, 14445 Olive View Dr., Sylmar, CA, 91342, USA. jbradfield@mednet.ucla.edu.|UCLA Cardiac Arrhythmia Center, David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA, 100 Medical Plaza, Suite 660, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. jbradfield@mednet.ucla.edu.
Jason S
JS
Bradfield
D001145:Arrhythmias, Cardiac / Q000209:etiology; D002598:Chagas Cardiomyopathy / Q000150:complications; D014355:Chagas Disease / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis; D018450:Disease Progression; D006333:Heart Failure / Q000209:etiology*; D006801:Humans
Asia; Chagas disease; Emerging; Europe; Heart failure; Non-endemic; United States