Therapy of Chagas Disease: Implications for Levels of Prevention

Abstract

<jats:p>This paper reviews the evidence supporting the use of etiological treatment for Chagas disease that has changed the standard of care for patients with<jats:italic>Trypanosoma cruzi</jats:italic>infection in the last decades. Implications of this evidence on different levels of prevention as well as gaps in current knowledge are also discussed. In this regard, etiological treatment has shown to be beneficial as an intervention for secondary prevention to successfully cure the infection or to delay, reduce, or prevent the progression to disease, and as primary disease prevention by breaking the chain of transmission. Timely diagnosis during initial stages would allow for the prescription of appropriate therapies mainly in the primary health care system thus improving chances for a better quality of life. Based on current evidence, etiological treatment has to be considered as an essential public health strategy useful to reduce disease burden and to eliminate Chagas disease altogether.</jats:p>

Reproducibilidad de pruebas serológicas para el diagnóstico de infección por Trypanosoma cruzi en gestantes de zona endémica de Santander, Colombia

“…La importancia de establecer si una mujer embarazada está infectada o no, radica en que implica un seguimiento exhaustivo tanto de la madre como del recién nacido y la toma de decisiones acertadas en su tratamiento; en la madre, permite reducir el impacto de las complicaciones crónicas y, eventualmente, romper el ciclo de infección vertical en futuros embarazos (22)(23)(24).…”

Trypanocide Treatment of Women Infected with Trypanosoma cruzi and Its Effect on Preventing Congenital Chagas

“…In chronically infected adult patients, antiparasitic treatment was recently reconsidered as useful on different levels of prevention (i.e., primary prevention by interruption of the transmission cycle, secondary prevention by preventing development of the disease, tertiary prevention by preventing progression of the disease) [13] . The trypanocide treatment in pregnant women is not indicated due to lack of evidence of complete safety for potentially teratogenic effects.…”

Medical Sociology in Africa

“…At this stage, the individual implements action necessary to identify specific illnesses or conditions at an early stage and seeks professional help for prompt intervention to prevent or limit disability. The third stage is tertiary prevention, which aims at reducing the negative impact of established disease by restoring function and reducing disease-related complications (Sosa-Estani et al 2012). This is the stage of recuperation (after adequate treatment).…”