Abstract
It has been estimated that, in vast areas of the American continent, there is a high prevalence of human infection by Trypanosoma cruzi. Such infection can lead to a variety of heart diseases, predominantly with involvement of the myocardium. The aim of the present work was to determine the prevalence of heart disease in two rural areas of Venezuela with a high endemicity of Chagas' disease and to try to determine the natural history of the disease. It is shown that a form of chronic myocardial disease in patients with positive specific serology and good functional capacity is highly prevalent. Electrocardiographic patterns typical of the initial and developing stages of the disease, as well as early abnormalities of the cardiac rhythm, are described and illustrated. The present work forms part of a longitudinal study still in progress.
Full text
PDF
Images in this article
Selected References
These references are in PubMed. This may not be the complete list of references from this article.
- DIAS E., LARANJA F. S., MIRANDA A., NOBREGA G. Chagas' disease; a clinical, epidemiologic, and pathologic study. Circulation. 1956 Dec;14(6):1035–1060. doi: 10.1161/01.cir.14.6.1035. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KOBERLE F. Cardiopatia chagásica. Hospital (Rio J) 1958 Mar;53(3):311–346. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- KOBERLE F. Die chronische Chagaskardiopathie. Virchows Arch Pathol Anat Physiol Klin Med. 1957;330(3):267–295. doi: 10.1007/BF00954960. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MAEKELT G. A. [Contribution to the study of Chagas' disease in Venezuela. Serological investigations of Chagas' disease by means of the complement fixation reaction]. Arch Venez Med Trop Parasitol Med. 1959 Jul;3:252–271. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- MAEKELT G. A. [The complement fixation reaction in Chagas' disease]. Z Tropenmed Parasitol. 1960 Aug;11:152–186. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- PIFANO F., GUERRERO L. Campaign against Chagas' disease in Venezuela. Methodological aspects, epedemiological investigations for detection on a national scale and scientific research. Bol Oficina Sanit Panam. 1963 May;54:396–411. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- ROSENBAUM M. B., ALVAREZ A. J. The electrocardiogram in chronic chagasic myocarditis. Am Heart J. 1955 Oct;50(4):492–527. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(55)90296-9. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
- SOKOLOW M., LYON T. P. The ventricular complex in left ventricular hypertrophy as obtained by unipolar precordial and limb leads. Am Heart J. 1949 Feb;37(2):161–186. doi: 10.1016/0002-8703(49)90562-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]