Biomarkers for the Diagnosis, Treatment Follow-Up, and Prediction of
Cardiac Complications in Chagas Disease. Recent.
Abstract
Chagas disease is caused by the Trypanosoma cruzi parasite and is
transmitted by infected triatomine bugs. This infection affects
approximately 8 million people in the Americas, and due to globalization
and displacement, it is becoming increasingly common to find infected
patients worldwide. Diagnosis of the disease in its acute form is
relatively simple, as the parasite can be detected in peripheral blood
smears, and symptoms are visible. However, in its chronic condition, the
parasite is almost undetectable, and indirect tests are necessary to
determine the presence of antibodies in infected patients. It is
important to note that a single test is not enough to confirm the
disease, as a second serological test should confirm the diagnosis. If
the results are contradictory, a third test should be performed to solve
the problem. Unfortunately, laboratories may not have access to all
necessary tests in many rural areas where the disease is more frequent.
Rapid tests to diagnose this disease present problems, such as
significant variations in sensitivity and specificity in different
countries. Therefore, searching for new biomarkers that allow for
optimal correlation is essential. In this work, we have searched
scientific literature from the last years for mentions of novel
biomarkers for diagnosis, treatment follow-up, and prediction of cardiac
complications in Chagas disease in its chronic phase.