Health Dictionary
Reliable, easy-to-read patient information on common medical conditions — written in plain language, free of jargon, and grounded in current evidence. Browse the most frequent diagnoses, understand what they mean for everyday life, and learn which steps and questions help you have a focused conversation with your doctor.
Chagas disease risk factors
Introduction
Overview
Overview
Risk factors for Chagas disease include residence in Central or South America, living in old houses with either mud and sticks wall constructions or straw roofs, ingestion of contaminated water, or receiving blood transfusions / organ donation from individuals in regions with high endemicity. Neonatal risk is highest among those who breastfeed from bleeding / cracked nipples of infected mothers and those who are delivered from seropositive mothers with active disease.
Risk Factors
Risk Factors
Risk factors for Chagas disease include:[1]
- Living in Central or South America
- Residing in a house constructed before the year 2000
- Exposure to either wall constructions composed of mud and sticks or straw roofs
- Ingestion of contaminated water
- Living in a hut where reduvid bugs live in the walls
- Poverty
- Receiving either a blood transfusion or organ transplant from a person in regions with high endemicity
- Maternal seropositivity and exacerbation of infection during pregnancy (risk of vertical transmission and development of congenital Chagas disease)
- Bleeding/cracked nipples of infected mother during breastfeeding
- Immunosuppression
References
References
- ↑ Bern C, Kjos S, Yabsley MJ, Montgomery SP (2011). “Trypanosoma cruzi and Chagas’ Disease in the United States”. Clin Microbiol Rev. 24 (4): 655–81. doi:10.1128/CMR.00005-11. PMC 3194829. PMID 21976603.
Editor-In-Chief: C. Michael Gibson, M.S., M.D. [1]; Associate Editor(s)-in-Chief: Yazan Daaboul, M.D.