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Factors associated with major electrocardiographic abnormalities in chagas disease patients: SaMi-trop cohort
Marcos Gabriel de Jesus Rodrigues1, Ester Cerdeira Sabino2, Antônio Luiz Pinho Ribeiro3
1Graduate Program in Health Sciences, State University of Montes Claros (UNIMONTES), Montes Claros, MG, Brazil.
Insights
Chagas disease (CD) can cause major heart abnormalities detected by ECG. Factors like male sex, hypertension, and lack of prior Benznidazole treatment increase this risk.
Area of Science:
- Cardiology
- Infectious Diseases
- Epidemiology
Background:
- Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected parasitic infection with significant cardiac implications.
- Up to 42% of individuals with CD may develop cardiac involvement.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) can detect progressive cardiac changes in CD, ranging from borderline to major abnormalities.
Purpose of the Study:
- To identify factors associated with major electrocardiographic abnormalities in Chagas disease patients.
- To analyze sociodemographic, cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms, and treatment data.
- To investigate these associations within a cohort in Minas Gerais, Brazil.
Main Methods:
- Cross-sectional study utilizing data from the SaMi-Trop cohort.
- Dependent variable: presence of major ECG abnormalities.
- Independent variables: sociodemographic, cardiovascular risk factors, symptoms, and CD treatment.
- Statistical analysis: Multinomial Logistic Regression.
Main Results:
- 1,938 individuals with positive Chagas disease serology were analyzed.
- 58.1% (1,126) of participants exhibited major ECG abnormalities.
- Increased likelihood of major abnormalities was linked to male sex, hypertension, absence of dyslipidemia, heart failure symptoms, and no prior Benznidazole use.
Conclusions:
- Modifiable characteristics are associated with major ECG abnormalities in Chagas disease.
- Previous treatment for Chagas disease (e.g., Benznidazole) may influence ECG outcomes.
- Understanding these factors can aid in managing cardiac complications of Chagas disease.
Background:
Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected parasitic disease. Up to 42% of infected individuals may present with cardiac involvement. The electrocardiogram (ECG) is capable of detecting these progressive changes, starting with borderline modifications and advancing to more severe manifestations, classified as major abnormalities.
Methods:
Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors associated with major electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with CD from a cohort established in Minas Gerais. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the SaMi-Trop cohort. The dependent variable was defined based on the ECG result, which assessed the presence of major abnormalities. The independent variables were grouped into four categories: Sociodemographic, cardiovascular disease risk factors, cardiovascular disease symptoms, and CD treatment.
Results:
Multinomial Logistic Regression was performed. A total of 1,938 individuals with positive serology for CD, aged over 18 years, participated in the study. Among them, 1,126 (58.1%) had major abnormalities in the ECG. In the multinomial logistic regression, higher likelihood of major abnormalities was observed among male individuals, those with hypertension, those without dyslipidemia, those with heart failure symptoms, and those who had not previously used Benznidazole.
Conclusion:
This study reveals that some modifiable characteristics and previous treatment of CD are associated with the presence of major abnormalities on the ECG.
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