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Shelton WJ, Gonzalez JM. Outcomes of patients in Chagas disease of the central nervous system: a systematic review. Parasitology 2024; 151:15-23. [PMID: 37987164 PMCID: PMC10941035 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182023001117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2023] [Revised: 11/08/2023] [Accepted: 11/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
Chagas disease is a parasitic infection caused by the protozoan Trypanosoma cruzi. One of the complications of the disease is the infection of the central nervous system (CNS), as it can result from either the acute phase or by reactivation during the chronic phase, exhibiting high mortality in immunocompromised patients. This systematic review aimed to determine clinical and paraclinical characteristics of patients with Chagas disease in the CNS. Articles were searched from PubMed, Scopus and LILACS until January 2023. From 2325 articles, 59 case reports and 13 case series of patients with Chagas in the CNS were retrieved from which 138 patients were identified. In this population, 77% of the patients were male, with a median age of 35 years old, from which most of them came from Argentina and Brazil. Most of the individuals were immunocompromised from which 89% were HIV-positive, and 54 patients had an average of 48 cells per mm3 CD4+ T cells. Motor deficits and seizures were the most common manifestation of CNS compromise. Furthermore, 90 patients had a documented CNS lesion by imaging from which 89% were supratentorial and 86% were in the anterior/middle cranial fossa. The overall mortality was of 74%. Among patients who were empirically treated with anti-toxoplasma drugs, 70% died. This review shows how Chagas disease in the CNS is a devastating complication requiring prompt diagnosis and treatment to improve patients’ outcomes.
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Affiliation(s)
- William J. Shelton
- Grupo de Ciencias Básicas Medicas, School of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
| | - John M. Gonzalez
- Grupo de Ciencias Básicas Medicas, School of Medicine, Universidad de Los Andes, Bogotá, Colombia
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Olivo-Freites C, Sy H, Cardenas-Alvarez J, Vega-Batista F, Henao-Martínez AF. Trypanosoma cruzi Central Nervous System Infection-Pathogenesis, Clinical Manifestations, Diagnosis, and Treatment. CURRENT TROPICAL MEDICINE REPORTS 2023; 10:186-198. [PMID: 38983718 PMCID: PMC11233130 DOI: 10.1007/s40475-023-00300-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 07/11/2024]
Abstract
Purpose of Review Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected tropical disease from the American continent that commonly causes cardiovascular disease. Some patients develop neurological manifestations. We discuss and summarize the pathogenesis, clinical characteristics, diagnosis, and treatment of the central nervous system manifestations of CD. Recent Findings Cerebrospinal fluid quantitative polymerase chain reaction tests and next-generation sequencing in tissue samples have facilitated disease diagnosis and follow-up. Novel presentations, including retinitis, are now reported. A new MRI sign called "Bunch of açai berries appearance"-multiple hypointense nodular lesions-has been described recently. Treatment with benznidazole at higher doses and the role of therapeutic drug monitoring need to be further studied in this setting. Summary A high suspicion index is paramount to diagnosing Chagas' central nervous system involvement. Standardized molecular diagnostics can aid in the initial workup. Future development of new therapeutic drugs is crucial because of the toxicity profile of the currently available medications.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Hendrik Sy
- Division of Infectious Disease, Montefiore Medical Center/Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA
| | - Jorge Cardenas-Alvarez
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Disease, Columbia University Irving Medical Center, New York, NY 10032, USA
| | | | - Andrés F Henao-Martínez
- Department of Medicine, Division of Infectious Diseases, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, 12700 E. 19th Avenue, Mail Stop B168, Aurora, CO, USA
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Clark EH, Bern C. Chagas Disease in People with HIV: A Narrative Review. Trop Med Infect Dis 2021; 6:tropicalmed6040198. [PMID: 34842854 PMCID: PMC8628961 DOI: 10.3390/tropicalmed6040198] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/16/2021] [Revised: 11/05/2021] [Accepted: 11/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Many questions remain unanswered regarding the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, treatment, and monitoring of Trypanosoma cruzi infection in people with HIV (PWH). The reported prevalence of T. cruzi infection in PWH living in endemic countries ranges from 1-28% and is likely similar in at-risk US populations. While classic cardiac and gastrointestinal presentations of chronic Chagas disease occur in PWH, PWH are additionally at risk for a severe and often fatal form of T. cruzi-mediated disease called reactivation disease. T. cruzi reactivation typically occurs in PWH with low CD4 counts and poor virologic control. National HIV guidelines in several endemic South American countries recommend that all PWH be screened for T. cruzi infection at the time of HIV diagnosis; however, this recommendation is not widely implemented. The early detection of T. cruzi infection in PWH is critical as the sequelae of Chagas disease, including T. cruzi reactivation, may be preventable through the restoration of robust cellular immunity via the initiation of antiretroviral therapy and the appropriate use of antitrypanosomal therapy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva H. Clark
- Department of Medicine, Section of Infectious Diseases, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Department of Pediatrics, Section of Tropical Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX 77030, USA
- Correspondence:
| | - Caryn Bern
- Department of Biostatistics and Epidemiology, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94158, USA;
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Czech MM, Nayak AK, Subramanian K, Suarez JF, Ferguson J, Jacobson KB, Montgomery SP, Chang M, Bae GH, Raghavan SS, Wang H, Miranti E, Budvytiene I, Shoor SM, Banaei N, Rieger K, Deresinski S, Holubar M, Blackburn BG. Reactivation of Chagas Disease in a Patient With an Autoimmune Rheumatic Disease: Case Report and Review of the Literature. Open Forum Infect Dis 2021; 8:ofaa642. [PMID: 33575423 PMCID: PMC7863873 DOI: 10.1093/ofid/ofaa642] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Reactivation of Chagas disease has been described in immunosuppressed patients, but there is a paucity of literature describing reactivation in patients on immunosuppressive therapies for the treatment of autoimmune rheumatic diseases. We describe a case of Chagas disease reactivation in a woman taking azathioprine and prednisone for limited cutaneous systemic sclerosis (lcSSc). Reactivation manifested as indurated and erythematous cutaneous nodules. Sequencing of a skin biopsy specimen confirmed the diagnosis of Chagas disease. She was treated with benznidazole with clinical improvement in the cutaneous lesions. However, her clinical course was complicated and included disseminated CMV disease and subsequent septic shock due to bacteremia. Our case and review of the literature highlight that screening for Chagas disease should be strongly considered for patients who will undergo immunosuppression for treatment of autoimmune disease if epidemiologically indicated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mary M Czech
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Ashwin K Nayak
- Department of Internal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Kavitha Subramanian
- Department of Internal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jose F Suarez
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Jessica Ferguson
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Karen Blake Jacobson
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Susan P Montgomery
- Division of Parasitic Diseases and Malaria, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | | | - Gordon H Bae
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Redwood City, California, USA
| | - Shyam S Raghavan
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Hannah Wang
- Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Eugenia Miranti
- Department of Internal Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Indre Budvytiene
- Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Stanford Mervyn Shoor
- Division of Immunology and Rheumatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Niaz Banaei
- Clinical Microbiology Laboratory, Stanford Health Care, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Kerri Rieger
- Department of Dermatology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Redwood City, California, USA.,Department of Pathology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Stan Deresinski
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Marisa Holubar
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
| | - Brian G Blackburn
- Division of Infectious Diseases and Geographic Medicine, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, California, USA
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