PREVALENCE OF CHAGAS DISEASE IN PATIENTS TREATED AT PUC-GOIÁS CLINICAL LABORATORY

Abstract

Chagas disease is a chronic disease caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. It is estimated that around 5 million Latin Americans are infected. Classic transmission occurs during the bite of the kissing bug which, when defecating, eliminates infective forms of the protozoan along with the feces. Other forms of transmission occur through ingestion of food contaminated by the parasite, through blood transfusion and transplacental transmission. The aim of this study is to estimate the prevalence of Chagas disease in patients treated at the PUC GO Clinical Laboratory (LAC-PUC Goiás). A documentary survey was carried out on patients who underwent serology for Chagas disease, in 2018, at LAC PUC Goiás. Of the 253 patients who underwent serology for Chagas disease, 86.6% (219/ 253) presented a negative result (non-reactive) and 13.4% (34/253) positive (reactive) for the disease. The most affected age group among serum-reactive patients was between 60 and 69 years old (29.5%). No significant difference was observed between the gender. After analyzing the data, a prevalence of Chagas disease was found to be 13.4% of patients treated at the school laboratory. Even though the number of cases is relatively low compared to other studies, a plan to deal with the problem is necessary to reduce the occurrence of cases, considering the possibility of chronicity of the disease, requiring specialized assistance for long periods, causing a burden on the Health System and greater human suffering.