Chagas Disease: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis & Treatment

Have a look at the causes, symptoms, diagnosis, and treatment of Chagas Disease caused by kissing bug.

Chagas disease is an inflammatory and infectious disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, a parasite that is usually found in the feces of the triatomine bug. This bug is also known as the "kissing bug."

Chagas disease is common in areas like South America, Central America and Mexico. A few cases of Chagas disease have also been found in the southern United States. Chagas disease can infect anyone and if left untreated, the disease can cause serious heart and digestive problems.

Let's have a look at the symptoms, causes, diagnosis, treatment and prevention of the Chagas Disease.

Chagas Disease: Symptoms 

According to the Cleveland Clinic, symptoms of Chagas Disease at its initial stages are mild and may not be experienced in all cases. The symptoms include:

• Swelling at the infection site

• Fever

• Fatigue

• Rash

• Body aches

• Eyelid swelling

• Headache

• Loss of appetite

• Nausea

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Swollen glands

• Enlargement of your liver or spleen

Signs and symptoms that develop during the acute phase usually go away on their own.

According to the Mayo Clinic, signs and symptoms in the chronic phase of Chagas disease may occur 10 to 20 years after the initial infection, and symptoms of initial phases include:

• Irregular heartbeat

• Heart failure

• Sudden cardiac arrest

• Difficulty swallowing due to enlarged esophagus

• Stomach pain or constipation due to an enlarged colon

Chagas Disease: Causes

The parasite Trypanosoma cruzi is spread from an insect known as the triatomine bug, or "kissing bug" and is the major cause of the Chagas disease. These insects get infected when they swallow blood from an animal that is infected with the parasite.

Triatomine bugs live primarily in mud, thatch, or adobe huts in Mexico, South America, and Central America. They hide during the day and come out at night.

Infected bugs defecate after they feed and leave behind parasites on the skin. The parasites then enter your body through your eyes, mouth, a cut, or scratch.

When one scratches or rubs the bite site, it helps the parasites enter your body thus multiply and spread. The infection may also be caused due to:

• Consuming uncooked food contaminated with feces from bugs infected with the parasite

• Being born to a person infected with the parasite

• Getting a blood transfusion or an organ transplant from an infected person

• Being accidentally exposed to the parasite

• Spending time in a forest with infected wild animals

Chagas Disease: Diagnosis

Your doctor may diagnose Chagas disease with a simple blood test which helps look for the presence of antibodies against the parasite.

The doctor may ask about your health history and may recommend cardiac testing to rule out heart or gastrointestinal complications. These tests may include:

• Echocardiogram

• Electrocardiogram (EKG, ECG)

• X-ray or CT scan of the abdomen or chest to check for an enlarged colon or esophagus.

Chagas Disease: Treatment

To kill the parasite, Chagas disease can be treated with benznidazole or nifurtimox. Both medicines are fully effective in curing the disease if given soon after infection during the acute phase. The efficacy of both diminishes, however, the longer a person has been infected and the adverse reactions are more frequent at older age.

Treatment is also indicated for those in whom infection has been reactivated and for patients during the early chronic phase, including girls and women of childbearing age to prevent congenital transmission.

Infected adults, especially those with no symptoms, should be offered treatment because antiparasitic treatment can prevent or curb disease progression. Benznidazole and nifurtimox should not be taken by pregnant women or by people with kidney or liver failure. Nifurtimox is also contraindicated for people with a background of neurological or psychiatric disorders.