Investigación epidemiológica de la prevalencia de la enfermedad de Chagas

Abstract

A statistically acceptable epidemiological investigation of the prevalence of Chagas' Disease was made by sampling in the cities of Resistencia, Barranqueras, and Vilelas, of a population of 61,697, 1,641 (2.66 percent) persons aged 6 or more were surveyed. The margin of security obtained from 99 percent (of the 1,641 covered by the survey, 1,625 were investigated) is highly plausible, for it confirms the value of the survey

The investigation consisted of a complement fixation test, background history of the disease, clinical examination, and electrocardiogram. Moreover, an investigation of the tuberculosis prevalence and rate, made in the same area in 1961, showed that 10.8 percent of the 8,276 persons examined suffered from cardiac enlargement

The serological rate was 5.17 percent and the persons examined showed a very high percentage of electrocardiographic alterations (38.53 percent); only 1.65 percent of the population examined were considered to have abnormal electrocardiograms imputable to Chagas' Disease

Of the 84 seropositives, 50 percent had electrocardigraphic alteration, and in one of three of the latter group such alteration was considered to be imputable to the disease. As expected, the percentage distribution (rate) of abnormal electrocardiograms showed a tendency to increase from childhood to old age. The percentage rates for seropositives according to age group were high, ... (AU)