Publications by authors named "Luiz Henrique C Sangenis"

Article Synopsis
  • A study found that a positive T. cruzi PCR test in chronic Chagas disease patients is linked to poorer health outcomes.
  • The research analyzed data from 333 patients, revealing a 41.1% positivity rate for the PCR test, with significant associations identified for diabetes, right bundle branch block, and past trypanocidal treatment.
  • Notably, having a history of trypanocidal treatment significantly lowered the chances of a positive PCR result, highlighting its protective benefits.
View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background Chagas disease (CD) presents an ominous prognosis. The predictive value of biomarkers and new echocardiogram parameters in adjusted models have not been well studied. Methods and Results There were 361 patients with chronic CD (57.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected endemic disease with worldwide impact due to migration. Approximately 50-70% of individuals in the chronic phase of CD present the indeterminate form, characterized by parasitological and/or serological evidence of infection, but without clinical signs and symptoms. Subclinical abnormalities have been reported in indeterminate form of CD, including pro-inflammatory states and alterations in cardiac function, biomarkers and autonomic modulation.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Chagas disease (CD) is still an important public health issue in Latin America. This study aims to analyse the association between socio-epidemiological factors and comorbidities with clinical manifestations of CD.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of 985 adult patients (65±11 y; 59.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Patients with chronic Chagas disease (CD) cardiomyopathy have a high mortality. We evaluated if two-dimensional (2D) strain () parameters provide independent predictors of progression to CD cardiomyopathy and all-cause mortality.

Methods: A total of 408 patients with chronic CD (58.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Chagas heart disease (CHD) affects approximately 30% of patients chronically infected with the protozoa . CHD is classified into four stages of increasing severity according to electrocardiographic, echocardiographic, and clinical criteria. CHD presents with a myriad of clinical manifestations, but its main complications are sudden cardiac death, heart failure, and stroke.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Chagas disease (caused by infection) evolves to chronic chagasic cardiomyopathy (CCC) affecting 1.8 million people worldwide. This is the first randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blinded, clinical trial designed to estimate efficacy and safety of selenium (Se) treatment in CCC.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) carries ominous consequences in patients with Chagas disease. The aim of this study was to determine whether left atrial (LA) volume and function assessed using three-dimensional echocardiographic (3DE) imaging and two-dimensional speckle-tracking echocardiographic deformation analysis of strain (ε) could predict new-onset AF in patients with Chagas disease.

Methods: A total of 392 adult patients with chronic Chagas disease (59% women; mean age, 53 ± 11 years) who underwent echocardiography were consecutively enrolled in this prospective longitudinal study.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1) and tumour necrosis factor (TNF) have been implicated in Chagas disease pathophysiology and may correlate with left ventricular (LV) function.

Objectives: We determined whether TGF-β1 and TNF serum levels correlate with LV systolic and diastolic functions and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) serum levels in chronic Chagas disease.

Methods: This cross-sectional study included 152 patients with Chagas disease (43% men; 57 ± 12 years old), classified as 53 patients with indeterminate form and 99 patients with cardiac form (stage A: 24, stage B: 25, stage C: 44, stage D: 6).

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Chagas heart disease has a high socioeconomic burden, and any strategy to detect early myocardial damage is welcome. Speckle-tracking echocardiography assesses global and segmental left ventricular (LV) systolic function, yielding values of two-dimensional strain (ε). The aim of this study was to determine if patients with chronic Chagas disease and normal LV ejection fractions present abnormalities in global and segmental LV ε.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Background: Pharmaceutical care is the direct interaction between pharmacist and patient, in order to improve therapeutic compliance, promote adequate pharmacotherapeutic follow-up, and improve quality of life. Pharmaceutical care may be effective in reducing complications and in improving the quality of life of patients with chronic diseases, like Chagas heart disease, while bringing a positive impact on health system costs. The morbidity and mortality indexes for patients with Chagas heart disease are high, especially if this heart disease is complicated by heart failure.

View Article and Find Full Text PDF