The T. cruzi infection is 15-24µm. It is long thin and worm like. It has an undulating membrane. It is a virus and they are called trypanosomes. It is caused by a parasite called Trypanosoma which is transmitted to animals and people through feces. People give it to other people when they share body fluids. It can infect anyone, but most people diagnosed are children. It is mostly found in the cardiovascular system, and in the places of poverty in Latin America.
The symptoms change over time. The first symptoms, Acute-phase symptoms, are swelling or redness in the place of infection, a rash, swollen throat, fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver and spleen enlargement and the Romaña sign (a swollen eye). The second phase of symptoms, the Chronic-phase, are irregular heartbeats (EKG changes), fainting (syncope), cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, dyspnea, emphysema, stroke, sudden death, chronic abdominal pain, chronic constipation, dilated colon and difficulty swallowing. The symptoms are usually mild during the Acute-phase and it lasts anywhere from a week to a few months. It usually resolves after taking medication, however if medication is not used the disease can advance to the Chronic-phase. The chronic-phase starts ten to twenty years after the initial infection. …show more content…
Chagas disease affects about 6 to 8 million people and causes about 12,000 deaths per year. In the US a little over 300,000 are infected. The treatment for Chagas disease is benznidazole and nifurtimox. Both medicines are almost 100% effective in curing the disease, however, the effectiveness of both diminish the longer a person has been infected. When Chagas disease progresses to the chronic phase, medications will only slow the phase. So only people under the age of fifty are offer a longer life with
The symptoms change over time. The first symptoms, Acute-phase symptoms, are swelling or redness in the place of infection, a rash, swollen throat, fever, headache, body aches, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, liver and spleen enlargement and the Romaña sign (a swollen eye). The second phase of symptoms, the Chronic-phase, are irregular heartbeats (EKG changes), fainting (syncope), cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, dyspnea, emphysema, stroke, sudden death, chronic abdominal pain, chronic constipation, dilated colon and difficulty swallowing. The symptoms are usually mild during the Acute-phase and it lasts anywhere from a week to a few months. It usually resolves after taking medication, however if medication is not used the disease can advance to the Chronic-phase. The chronic-phase starts ten to twenty years after the initial infection. …show more content…
Chagas disease affects about 6 to 8 million people and causes about 12,000 deaths per year. In the US a little over 300,000 are infected. The treatment for Chagas disease is benznidazole and nifurtimox. Both medicines are almost 100% effective in curing the disease, however, the effectiveness of both diminish the longer a person has been infected. When Chagas disease progresses to the chronic phase, medications will only slow the phase. So only people under the age of fifty are offer a longer life with