Increased plasma levels of tumor necrosis factor-alpha in asymptomatic/"indeterminate" and Chagas disease cardiomyopathy patients

Abstract

We compared plasma tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) levels among asymptomatic/"indeterminate" Chagas disease patients (ASY)

Cytokine serum levels in patients infected by human immunodeficiency virus with and without Trypanosoma cruzi coinfection

“…Impairment of the Th1 immune response is involved in susceptibility to several infections, especially by fungi, viruses, intracellular bacteria and even by protozoa, such as Leishmania sp. Other studies, analyzing levels of serum cytokines, have demonstrated that TNF-α levels are significantly higher in Chagas' disease patients compared to normal controls 9 , while other work has pointed to undetectable levels of TNF-α and IFN-γ levels that did not differ from those of the controls 22 .…”

Immunological imbalance between IFN-³ and IL-10 levels in the sera of patients with the cardiac form of Chagas disease

“…Similar high levels of TNF-α were detected in asymptomatic individuals and patients with digestive and CARD clinical forms, respectively (Perez-Fuentes et al 2007). However, Ferreira et al (2003) showed that patients with significant left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (LV ejection fraction ≤ 50%) showed higher levels of TNF-α, compared to chagasic patients without LV dysfunction. It has been suggested that chronic TNF-α production prior to heart failure may play a role in chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy progression (Ferreira et al 2003).…”

“…However, Ferreira et al (2003) showed that patients with significant left ventricular (LV) dysfunction (LV ejection fraction ≤ 50%) showed higher levels of TNF-α, compared to chagasic patients without LV dysfunction. It has been suggested that chronic TNF-α production prior to heart failure may play a role in chronic Chagas disease cardiomyopathy progression (Ferreira et al 2003). A similar level of cytokine production in sera of acute chagasic children, compared to NI, has been described previously (Moretti et al 2002).…”

“…Higher TNF-α (Ferreira et al 2003, Talvani et al 2004 and NO levels (Perez-Fuentes et al 2007) were observed in the plasma of chagasic CARD patients with the severe form of the disease, compared to patients with mild cardiopathy and NI. These results suggest a role for systemic NO and TNF-α in dilated cardiomyopathy.…”

Pathogenesis and Pathology of Chagas' Chronic Myocarditis

“…CCC patients had higher levels of TNF- and CCL2 than indeterminate patients (Ferreira, et al, 2003, Talvani A., et al, 2004 (Reddy, et al, 2008, Riol-Blanco, et al, 2005, Sakai, et al, 2006.…”