Ten patients with chronic Chagas' disease were treated with nifurtimox (8-9 mg/kg/day) associated with betamethasone (9 mg/day initially and then gradually reduced) during 60 days, with one exception. It was intended to combine the respective anti-parasitic and anti-inflammatory actions of these drugs. The expected stimulating effect of betamethasone on the infection could possibly enhance the anti-Trypanosoma cruzi action of nifurtimox. Long term persistence of negative xenodiagnosis, used to control the results, was observed in only one of the cases. Regaridng the other patients, post-treatment positivity of xenodiagnosis and serological testes attested the failure of this therapy. As this study has demonstrated, adequate and long term follow-up of treated cases is necessary to ensure correct conclusions.
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