Treatment and seroconversion in a cohort of children suffering from recent chronic Chagas infection in Yoro, Honduras
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
;
104(7): 986-991, Nov. 2009. tab
Artigo
em Inglês
| LILACS
| ID: lil-534163
ABSTRACT
Between 1999-2002, Médécins Sans Frontières-Spain implemented a project seeking to determine the efficacy and safety of benznidazole in the treatment of recent chronic Chagas disease in a cohort of seropositive children in the Yoro Department, Honduras. A total of 24,471 children were screened for Trypanosoma cruzi IgG antibodies through conventional enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISA) on filter paper. Recombinant ELISA (0.93 percent seroprevalence) showed 256 initially reactive cases, including 232 confirmed positive cases. Of these, 231 individuals were treated with benznidazole (7.5 mg/kg/day) for 60 days and were followed with a strict weekly medical control and follow-up protocol. At the end of the project, 229 patients were examined by the Honduras Secretariat of Health for post-treatment serological assessments; 88.2 percent seroconverted after 18 months and 93.9 percent seroconverted after three years. No differences were found in the seroconversion rates according to age or sex. Most of the side effects of the treatment were minor. These results support the argument that in areas where T. cruzi I is predominant and in areas affected by T. cruzi II, when vector transmission has been interrupted, Chagas disease diagnosis and treatment are feasible, necessary and ethically indisputable.
Texto completo:
DisponíveL
Índice:
LILACS (Américas)
Assunto principal:
Tripanossomicidas
/
Doença de Chagas
/
Nitroimidazóis
Tipo de estudo:
Guia de Prática Clínica
/
Fatores de risco
Limite:
Animais
/
Feminino
/
Humanos
/
Masculino
País/Região como assunto:
América Central
/
Honduras
Idioma:
Inglês
Revista:
Mem. Inst. Oswaldo Cruz
Assunto da revista:
Medicina Tropical
/
Parasitologia
Ano de publicação:
2009
Tipo de documento:
Artigo
País de afiliação:
Brasil
/
Honduras
/
Espanha
Instituição/País de afiliação:
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz-Fiocruz/BR
/
Médécins Sans Frontières-Spain/ES
/
National Chagas Disease Prevention and Control Program/HN
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