What is Chagas disease?

What is Chagas disease?

• Chagas disease: A parasitic infection caused by the protozoa Trypanosoma cruzi and transmitted by insect bites or blood transfusions. The disease primarily involves the heart and gastrointestinal system.
• Chagas disease: The agent of South American trypanosomiasis or CHAGAS DISEASE. Its vertebrate hosts are man and various domestic and wild animals. Insects of several species are vectors.
  Source - Diseases Database

Chagas disease is listed as a "rare disease" by the Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH). This means that Chagas disease, or a subtype of Chagas disease, affects less than 200,000 people in the US population.
Source - National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Ophanet, a consortium of European partners, currently defines a condition rare when it affects 1 person per 2,000. They list Chagas disease as a "rare disease".
Source - Orphanet

Chagas disease: Introduction

Types of Chagas disease:

Types of Chagas disease:

• Acute Chagas disease
• Chronic Chagas disease - about a third of cases become chronic
• more types...»

Broader types of Chagas disease:

• Parasitic Conditions
• Protozoan Conditions
• Parasitic diseases
• Conditions involving a pathogen
• Flu-like conditions
• more types...»

Who gets Chagas disease?

Geography Profile for Chagas disease: Chagas disease is locally transmitted in Argentina, Belize, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, Ecuador, El Salvador, French Guiana, Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Mexico, Nicaragua, Panama, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay, and Venezuela. (Source: excerpt from Chagas Disease: DPD)

How serious is Chagas disease?

Complications of Chagas disease: see complications of Chagas disease
Average life years lost for Chagas disease: 9 years for chronic chagas disease (DPD)

What causes Chagas disease?

Causes of Chagas disease: see causes of Chagas disease
Cause of Chagas disease: Trypanosoma cruzi from parasitic insect bites (assassin bugs) usually carried on animals.
Risk factors for Chagas disease: see risk factors for Chagas disease

What are the symptoms of Chagas disease?

Symptoms of Chagas disease: see symptoms of Chagas disease

Complications of Chagas disease: see complications of Chagas disease

Incubation period for Chagas disease: Symptoms may occur within a few days to weeks. Most people do not have symptoms until the chronic stage of infection, 10-20 years after first being infected. (Source: excerpt from Chagas Disease: DPD)

Can anyone else get Chagas disease?

More information: see contagiousness of Chagas disease
Inheritance: see inheritance of Chagas disease

Chagas disease: Testing

Diagnostic testing: see tests for Chagas disease.

Misdiagnosis: see misdiagnosis and Chagas disease.

How is it treated?

Treatments for Chagas disease: see treatments for Chagas disease
Prevention of Chagas disease: see prevention of Chagas disease
Research for Chagas disease: see research for Chagas disease

Name and Aliases of Chagas disease

Main name of condition: Chagas disease

Class of Condition for Chagas disease: parasite

American trypanosomiasis, South American trypanosomiasis, American Trypansomiasis, Brazilian Trypansomiasis

American trypanosomiasis, Chagas-Mazza disease, New World trypanosomiasis, Trypanosoma cruzi Source - Diseases Database

American trypanosomiasis
Source - Office of Rare Diseases (ORD) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH)

Chagas disease: Related Conditions

Research the causes of these diseases that are similar to, or related to, Chagas disease:

• American trypanosomiasis
• Trypanosoma cruzi
• T cruzi
• Trypanosoma infection
• T cruzi infection
• Chagas cardiomyopathy
• Parasitic protozoan
• Triatomine
• Kissing bugs
• Trypanosomatidae
• Stercoraria
• Trypanosome
• Trypomastigote
• Epimastigote
• Amastigote
• Triatominae
• Triatoma

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