Emergencies in patients with Chagas' disease in Buenos Aires city, Argentina

• Published in: Revista da Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical Vol. 35; no. 6; p. 609
• Main Authors: Auger, Sergio, Storino, Rubén, Iglesias Ordoñez, Oscar, Urrutia, María Inés, Sanmartino, Mariana, Romero, Dardo, Jörg, Miguel
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01-11-2002
• Subjects: Argentina - epidemiology; Cause of Death; Chagas Cardiomyopathy - mortality; Chagas Cardiomyopathy - therapy; Chagas Disease - complications; Chagas Disease - mortality; Chagas Disease - therapy; Chi-Square Distribution; Emergencies - epidemiology; Female; Hospitalization - statistics & numerical data; Humans; Male; Patient Dropouts - statistics & numerical data; Prospective Studies; Urban Population; Argentina
• ISSN: 0037-8682

The objective of this work was to evaluate the most frequent causes of emergency in patients with Chagas disease. Between January 1998-January 1999, individuals with Chagas disease inside the shock-room of Santojanni Hospital in Buenos Aires city, were included in a prospective study. For the statistical analysis, X test with Yates correction has been used. From a total of 1.680 patients entered, there were 95 (6%) with reactive serology for Chagas disease. In 31 individuals the enter cause was syncope, in 28 cardiac insufficiency, in 18 acute coronary events, in 5 stroke, in 3 acute edema of hypertensive lung and in 2 acute encephalitis associated to AIDS. In conclusion, significant association has been observed between: 1) presence of cardiopathy and hospitalization, 2) cardiac insufficiency, syncope, acute encephalitis and mortality, 3) cardiopathy development and mortality and 4) origin place and mortality.