[Clinical and epidemiological study of blood donors seropositive for Trypanosoma cruzi].

BACKGROUND

The prevalence of positive antibodies for Chagas disease in a blood bank of a public hospital in Santiago is 1.2%. These positive individuals should be informed about their condition and further studied.

AIM: To perform a serological confirmation, an epidemiological and clinical assessment of blood donors seropositive for Chagas disease in a blood bank of Santiago.

SUBJECTS AND

METHODS

One hundred eleven seropositive donors, detected between 1994 and 1996, were studied. Serological reactions were confirmed with ELISA and indirect immunofluorescence reactions. Those confirmed as positive were subjected to a clinical-epidemiological questionnaire, physical examination, EKG and barium enema or swallow according to symptoms.

RESULTS

Seventy individuals were confirmed as positive for Chagas disease. Most of them lived at least once in an endemic zone for Chagas disease or in a sun-dried clay brick house. Forty-percent of individuals knew reduviid bugs and 14% had been bitten by these insects. Twenty six percent of these subjects had an abnormal EKG (61% with bradycardia). No digestive diseases attributable to Chagas disease were detected.

CONCLUSIONS

The high prevalence of problems attributable to Chagas disease among seropositive blood donors underscores the need of an epidemiological follow up of these individuals.