Causality and Severity of Adverse Reactions and Biochemical Changes to Benznidazole Treatment in Patients with Chronic Chagas Disease.

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is a serious public health problem in Latin America. Benznidazole (BNZ) is used for the treatment of CD and, despite its wide use, little information is available about its toxicity and mechanisms of adverse drug reactions (ADR).

Objectives: To identify and classify clinical and laboratory adverse reactions caused by BNZ in terms of causality and severity.

Immunosuppressive CD14/HLA-DR monocytes in patients with Chagas Disease.

Chagas Disease (CD) is a neglected illness whose immunopathological mechanisms have not yet been plainly elucidated. The asymptomatic (indeterminate) form of CD is a long-term condition and approximately 20% to 35% of the individuals with this form evolve into one of the three chronic symptomatic clinical forms of CD, namely: cardiac, digestive or cardio-digestive (mixed). A variant of blood monocytes characterized by low expression of the HLA-DR antigen (CD14/HLA-DR) constitutes a subtype of myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) whose main function is to regulate exacerbated inflammatory processes.

Seroprevalence and risk factors of Chagas disease in a rural population of the Quixeré municipality, Ceará, Brazil.

Introduction: This study estimated the seroprevalence and risk factors of Chagas disease (CD) in a population of the Quixeré municipality, Ceará.

Methods: We conducted serological methods to detect the Trypanosoma cruzi infection. The other variables were evaluated by a standardized questionnaire.

Prevalence of Trypanosoma Cruzi Infection in Blood Donors.

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is considered a public health problem in Latin America. The northeastern region, especially the state of Ceará, still represents a major concern in terms of the risk of transmission of CD.

Objective: To estimate the prevalence of T.