Série de casos agudos de doença de Chagas atendidos num serviço terciário de Manaus, Estado do Amazonas, de 1980 a 2006 / Series of acute Chagas' disease cases attended at a tertiary-level clinic in Manaus, State of Amazonas, from 1980 to 2006

RESUMO

INTRODUÇÃO: A doença de Chagas é um problema emergente e negligenciado na Região Amazônica. MÉTODOS: Descreve-se uma série de casos agudos autóctones de doença de Chagas atendidos na Fundação de Medicina Tropical do Amazonas, Manaus, de 1980 a 2006. RESULTADOS: Registraram-se 29 casos, sendo 19 do sexo masculino e 10 casos do sexo feminino. Quinze eram casos isolados e 14 provenientes de surtos. Os sinais/sintomas mais freqüentes foram febre, fadiga, cefaléia, mialgia, calafrios, palidez, dispnéia e edema de face e de membros inferiores. Não foi registrado nenhum óbito. CONCLUSÕES: A doença incidiu com frequência em jovens. Os métodos parasitológicos mostraram elevada sensibilidade.

ABSTRACT

INTRODUCTION: Chagas disease is an emerging and neglected problem in the Brazilian Amazon region. METHODS: This study describes a series of acute autochthonous cases of Chagas disease that were attended at the Tropical Medicine Foundation of Amazonas, Manaus, between 1980 and 2006. RESULTS: Twenty-nine cases were recorded 19 (65.5 percent) were male and 10 (34.5 percent) cases were female. Fifteen (51.7 percent) were isolated cases and 14 (48.3 percent) were from outbreaks. The commonest signs and symptoms were fever, fatigue, headache, myalgia, chills, pallor, dyspnea and edema of the face and lower limbs. No deaths were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: The disease occurred frequently among young people. The parasitological methods showed high sensitivity.