Avaliação da concentração serica da proteina C-reativa na forma cardiaca da Doença de Chagas

Abstract

Chagas disease, caused by protozoan Trypanossoma cruzi (T.cruzi), still remains a major public health problem in developing countries of Latin America. Only 20-30 % of the infected patients have heart disease or megas syndrome. The World Health Organization indicates a prevalence of 16 million people infected by the parasite T. cruzi in America and more than 40 million people at risk of contracting the disease. In Brazil, current estimates suggest the existence of 2 to 3 million of infected people. This study aimed to establish the relationship between the clinical cardiac form and average concentration of serum levels of C-reactive protein as a possible indicator of inflammation and progression of Chagas disease. And compounds analyzed in serum by 136 individuals assessed by the StudyGroup on Chagas disease (GEDoCh) initially divided into five pre-established groups between the clinical forms of Chagas disease. The CRP was measured by the method immunonefelometria, using highly sensitive kit was used as statistical methods Mann-Whitney for comparison of variables between groups and Kruskal-Wallis test. For numerical analysis was calculated from was calculated for numerical analysis the correlation of Spearman. The results showed that the non-chagasic cardiopathy group and chagasic severe cardiopathy group had significantly higher levels of CRP than the other groups. Concluded that CRP can be considered as a marker of the evolution of Chagas disease to the chronic cardiac form.