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Risk of COVID-19 in Chagas Disease Patients: What Happen with Cardiac Affectations?
Alejandro Diaz-Hernandez1, Maria Cristina Gonzalez-Vazquez1, Minerva Arce-Fonseca2
1Centro de Investigaciones en Ciencias Microbiológicas, Instituto de Ciencias, Benemérita Universidad Autónoma de Puebla, 14 Sur y Avenida San Claudio, Ciudad Universitaria, Puebla 72570, Mexico.
Insights
This review explores the cardiac complications of COVID-19 in Chagas disease patients, highlighting limited current knowledge and the need for further research on co-infection impacts.
Area of Science:
- Tropical Medicine
- Infectious Diseases
- Cardiology
Background:
- Chagas disease is a neglected tropical illness with potential cardiac complications.
- Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) frequently involves cardiovascular issues.
- The interaction between Chagas disease and COVID-19 cardiac effects is poorly understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review potential cardiac complications in Chagas disease patients co-infected with SARS-CoV-2.
- To outline treatment and management recommendations for these co-infected patients.
Main Methods:
- A literature review of recent studies on COVID-19 and Chagas disease.
- Discussion of advances and limitations in understanding cardiac co-affectations.
Main Results:
- There is currently limited information on the consequences for Chagas disease patients infected with COVID-19.
- Cardiovascular involvement is a known complication of both conditions.
Conclusions:
- Co-infections pose emerging challenges for medical care access.
- Further research is crucial to understand the implications of SARS-CoV-2 and other viral co-infections in individuals with Chagas disease.
Background:
Chagas disease is considered a neglected tropical disease. The acute phase of Chagas disease is characterized by several symptoms: fever, fatigue, body aches, headache and cardiopathy's. Chronic phase could be asymptomatic or symptomatic with cardiac compromise. Since the emergence of the pandemic caused by the SARS-CoV-2 virus, the cardiovascular involvement has been identified as a complication commonly reported in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Due to the lack of knowledge of the cardiac affectations that this virus could cause in patients with Chagas disease, the aim of this review is to describe the possible cardiac affectations, as well as the treatment and recommendations that patients with both infections should carry out.
Methods:
The authors revised the recent and relevant literature concerning the topic and discussed advances and limitations of studies on COVID-19 and their impact in Chagas disease patients, principally with cardiac affectations.
Results:
There currently exists little information about the consequences that Chagas disease patients can suffer when they are infected with COVID-19.
Conclusions:
This review highlights the emerging challenges of access to medical care and future research needs in order to understand the implications that co-infections (SARS-CoV-2 or other viruses) can generate in Chagas disease-infected people.
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