What is Chagas Disease?

Chagas disease is a blood-sucking parasitic disease and it is a serious health disorder. Chagas disease is caused by the parasite trypanosoma cruzi. It is also called as the American trypanosomiasis or South American trypanosomiasis. The disease is spread by certain blood-sucking bugs which are also called as kissing bugs. Chagas disease is often seen in the people of Central and South America.

Chagas Disease Transmission

When an infected bug bites you( usually bites on the face), it leaves behind the faeces (waste) and when you unknowingly rub your face, the faeces of that infected bug tend to enter your body through the eyes, nose or even through the small cuts or wounds present on your face. Therefore in case of Chagas disease, the location that is infected could be either eyes or mouth. This infection could also be transmitted by blood transfusion, or through an infected pregnant woman to her baby.
The image below is of the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that causes Chagas disease:

Symptoms and Types of Chagas Disease

The most common symptoms seen in people suffering from Chagas disease are:

• Fever
• Flu-like symptoms
• Rashes
• A swollen eyelid

For Heart-related complications, treatment may include medications, a pacemaker or other devices in order to regulate your heart rhythm, and a surgery which might  be performed if the situation demands. There may be necessity of even a heart transplant.

The image below shows a child infected with the Chagas disease:

Chagas disease is often seen in three stages. Let us have a brief discussion on each of these stages.

Chronic Chagas Disease

As the name suggests, chronic infection is a serious and constant infection. People suffering from this are at a higher risk of serious damage to the heart like heart failure, enlarged heart, irregular heartbeat, cardiac arrest, etc. However, this effect is  seen only about twenty years after being infected and not everyone develops the chronic symptoms of Chagas disease.

Intermediate Chagas Disease

During this stage, the people who have been infected by Chagas disease do not show any symptoms for a period of over ten weeks and then after this period slowly start developing the symptoms.

Acute Chagas Disease

This is the beginning phase and it is during this phase of the infection where infected people do not have any symptoms. The most seen symptom is the swelling of the eye. The other common symptoms are fever, rashes, diarrhoea, nausea, etc.
With Chagas disease, there is a probability wherein some people can be infected and never develop any symptoms. However, most  people develop symptoms after over ten years of being infected.

Who are at a Risk for Chagas Disease?

Chagas disease is normally restricted to people of lower class who live in inadequately constructed houses like mud houses and thatch houses in the Central and South America. Children are the ones who are usually infected with Chagas disease. The acute form of the infection is usually seen in infected children. The disease gets to the chronic stage only after about ten or twenty years.  There are over fifteen million people infected by Chagas disease. According to a recent estimation, about fifty thousand people die every year from this disease.

Diagnosis and Treatment

Chagas disease is diagnosed by a blood test. Chagas disease when treated early can be effective. Despite the fact that there is no obvious vaccination to treat Chagas disease, there are certain medications to treat Chagas disease in the acute stage. They are, benznidazole and nifurtimox. But unfortunately both these medications have serious side effects, thereby limiting their use. However, as of yet there are no medications to treat this disease in the chronic stage.

Finally, it is very important to diagnose Chagas disease at the early stage. Because if you do not treat the infection at the earliest, it can cause severe heart problems which may not have a cure.