Chagas Disease: Pregnancy-Based Screening to Benefit Mother and Infant
- Duration: 60 Mins
- Credits: 1 CERP, 1 R-CERP
- Handout: Yes
Abstract:
Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by Trypanosoma cruzi. Chagas disease is endemic in Mexico, Central America or South America. Approximately 8-10 million people in Latin America and 300,000 people in the United States have Chagas disease. Chagas disease damages the heart and causes approximately 10,000 deaths yearly. Approximately 30,000-45,000 people in the United States have Chagas cardiomyopathy. Most are unaware of the infection and have no symptoms. The common mode of acquiring Chagas disease is vector-borne. Acute infection is often asymptomatic. Infection is life-long if untreated and, over years or decades, 20% to 40% of people develop Chagas heart or gastrointestinal disease. Infection is also transmitted congenitally. In the United States there are ~40,000 women in the childbearing years with Chagas disease who give birth to ~63-315 infected infants each year. Some infants have signs of infection at birth but none is specific for Chagas disease. Maternal infection can be diagnosed by a commercially-available ELISA testing for T. cruzi IgG. At its cost of ~$50, screening would be cost-saving, whether implemented universally or for at-risk women. Treatment of confirmed infection is curative for infants, prevents transmission in future pregnancies and reduces risk for cardiomyopathy in women in the childbearing years.
Learning Objectives:
Objective 1: Cite how Latin American-born women living in the United States may be at risk for Chagas disease.
Objective 2: Counsel at-risk pregnant women regarding Chagas disease screening for their personal benefit and that of their infants.
Objective 3: List steps to screen and confirm the diagnosis of Chagas disease.
