American trypanosomiasis (Chagas' disease)

Gastrointestinal dysfunction is a major problem for many patients with chronic Chagas' disease, as are cardiac dysrhythmias and cardiomyopathy. The underlying anatomic abnormality in these patients is a denervation of the gastrointestinal tract. This process of nerve destruction usually develops insidiously over many years, and it is highly variable in terms of its extent in individual patients as well as in the segments of the gastrointestinal tract that are most affected. Megaesophagus is the most common manifestation of gastrointestinal Chagas disease, and mechanical dilation of the esophageal sphincter or surgery in advanced cases usually give satisfactory relief of symptoms. Megacolon, particularly of the sigmoid segment, is also common in patients with chronic T. cruzi infections, and its presence can be complicated by fecal impaction or sigmoid volvulus. Patients with advanced megacolon who have resections of the sigmoid colon and most of the rectum generally do well postoperatively.