Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole
The aim of this article is to present an investigation of cure rate, after long follow up, of specific chemotherapy with benznidazole in patients with both acute and chronic Chagas disease, applying quantitative conventional serological tests as the base of the criterion of cure. Twenty one patients...
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ftdoajarticles:oai:doaj.org/article:d058b39a3b4d4b4890c1612a50213b4c 2024-09-09T19:28:25+00:00 Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole J. Romeu CANÇADO 2002-02-01T00:00:00Z https://doaj.org/article/d058b39a3b4d4b4890c1612a50213b4c EN eng Universidade de São Paulo (USP) http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652002000100006&tlng=en https://doaj.org/toc/1678-9946 1678-9946 https://doaj.org/article/d058b39a3b4d4b4890c1612a50213b4c Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Vol 44, Iss 1, Pp 29-37 (2002) Chagas disease Treatment Cure Benznidazole Therapeutic Schedule Trypanosoma cruzi Side-effects Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 article 2002 ftdoajarticles 2024-08-05T17:49:31Z The aim of this article is to present an investigation of cure rate, after long follow up, of specific chemotherapy with benznidazole in patients with both acute and chronic Chagas disease, applying quantitative conventional serological tests as the base of the criterion of cure. Twenty one patients with the acute form and 113 with one or other of the various chronic clinical forms of the disease were evaluated, after a follow up period of 13 to 21 years, for the acute, and 6 to 18 years, for the chronic patients. The duration of the acute as well as the chronic disease, a condition which influences the results of the treatment, was determined. The therapeutic schedule was presented, with emphasis on the correlation between adverse reactions and the total dose of 18 grams, approximately, as well as taking into consideration precautions to assure the safety of the treatment. Quantitative serological reactions consisting of complement fixation, indirect immunofluorescence, indirect hemagglutination, and, occasionally, ELISA, were used. Cure was found in 76 per cent of the acute patients but only in 8 per cent of those with chronic forms of the disease. In the light of such contrasting results, fundamentals of the etiological therapy of Chagas disease were discussed, like the criterion of cure, the pathogenesis and the role of immunosuppression showing tissue parasitism in long standing chronic disease, in support of the concept that post-therapeutic consistently positive serological reactions mean the presence of the parasite in the patient's tissues. In relation to the life-cycle of T. cruzi in vertebrate host, there are still some obscure and controversial points, though there is no proof of the existence of resistant or latent forms. However, the finding over the last 15 years, that immunosuppression brings about the reappearance of acute disease in long stand chronic patients justifies a revision of the matter. Facts were quoted in favor of the treatment of chronic patients. Article in Journal/Newspaper Arctic Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles Arctic |
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Directory of Open Access Journals: DOAJ Articles |
op_collection_id |
ftdoajarticles |
language |
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topic |
Chagas disease Treatment Cure Benznidazole Therapeutic Schedule Trypanosoma cruzi Side-effects Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
spellingShingle |
Chagas disease Treatment Cure Benznidazole Therapeutic Schedule Trypanosoma cruzi Side-effects Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 J. Romeu CANÇADO Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole |
topic_facet |
Chagas disease Treatment Cure Benznidazole Therapeutic Schedule Trypanosoma cruzi Side-effects Arctic medicine. Tropical medicine RC955-962 Infectious and parasitic diseases RC109-216 |
description |
The aim of this article is to present an investigation of cure rate, after long follow up, of specific chemotherapy with benznidazole in patients with both acute and chronic Chagas disease, applying quantitative conventional serological tests as the base of the criterion of cure. Twenty one patients with the acute form and 113 with one or other of the various chronic clinical forms of the disease were evaluated, after a follow up period of 13 to 21 years, for the acute, and 6 to 18 years, for the chronic patients. The duration of the acute as well as the chronic disease, a condition which influences the results of the treatment, was determined. The therapeutic schedule was presented, with emphasis on the correlation between adverse reactions and the total dose of 18 grams, approximately, as well as taking into consideration precautions to assure the safety of the treatment. Quantitative serological reactions consisting of complement fixation, indirect immunofluorescence, indirect hemagglutination, and, occasionally, ELISA, were used. Cure was found in 76 per cent of the acute patients but only in 8 per cent of those with chronic forms of the disease. In the light of such contrasting results, fundamentals of the etiological therapy of Chagas disease were discussed, like the criterion of cure, the pathogenesis and the role of immunosuppression showing tissue parasitism in long standing chronic disease, in support of the concept that post-therapeutic consistently positive serological reactions mean the presence of the parasite in the patient's tissues. In relation to the life-cycle of T. cruzi in vertebrate host, there are still some obscure and controversial points, though there is no proof of the existence of resistant or latent forms. However, the finding over the last 15 years, that immunosuppression brings about the reappearance of acute disease in long stand chronic patients justifies a revision of the matter. Facts were quoted in favor of the treatment of chronic patients. |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
J. Romeu CANÇADO |
author_facet |
J. Romeu CANÇADO |
author_sort |
J. Romeu CANÇADO |
title |
Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole |
title_short |
Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole |
title_full |
Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole |
title_fullStr |
Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole |
title_full_unstemmed |
Long term evaluation of etiological treatment of Chagas disease with benznidazole |
title_sort |
long term evaluation of etiological treatment of chagas disease with benznidazole |
publisher |
Universidade de São Paulo (USP) |
publishDate |
2002 |
url |
https://doaj.org/article/d058b39a3b4d4b4890c1612a50213b4c |
geographic |
Arctic |
geographic_facet |
Arctic |
genre |
Arctic |
genre_facet |
Arctic |
op_source |
Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo, Vol 44, Iss 1, Pp 29-37 (2002) |
op_relation |
http://www.scielo.br/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0036-46652002000100006&tlng=en https://doaj.org/toc/1678-9946 1678-9946 https://doaj.org/article/d058b39a3b4d4b4890c1612a50213b4c |
_version_ |
1809897683488342016 |