Doctors have warned about a parasitic illness that may cause strokes and heart failures spreading across the US. A strange disease called the Chagas is said to be spread by an insect called the 'kissing bug'. It is so called because it tends to bite people's faces and areas near their mouths. It is called as the 'silent killer' because most victims never show signs of being infected. Though the disease has mostly been limited to Central and South America, it has entered the States, making around 300,000 people sick. The American Heart Associaton said in one of its statement that there could be a devastating outbreak of the disease if US doctors don't start better recognising, diagnosing and treating it.

What Is Chagas Disease? 

This disease is caused by parasites that infect the human body and may even cause fatal.  A research paper that studied the Chagas Disease defines the disease by saying, 'The infection is transmitted by triatomine insects while blood feeding on a human host. Field studies predict that one-third of an estimated 18 million T cruzi‐infected humans in Latin America will die of the Chagas disease.'

The study further says that, 'Acute infections are usually asymptomatic, but the ensuing chronic T cruzi infections have been associated with high ratios of morbidity and mortality: Chagas heart disease leads to unexpected death in 37.5% of patients, 58% develop heart failure and die and megacolon or megaoesophagus has been associated with death in 4.5%. The pathogenesis of Chagas disease appears to be related to a parasite‐induced mutation of the vertebrate genome. Currently, treatment is unsatisfactory.'

Chagas disease and HIV

The disease is also associated with HIV. A study says, 'Chagas disease and HIV mutually affect each other. HIV infection may lead to reactivation of T cruzi infection. The disease in some T cruzi‐HIV‐infected patients may have a long silent clinical course, whereas in others it may present with meningoencephalitis or myocarditis. Therefore, these coinfections should be investigated in endemic and non‐endemic regions of the world.'

(Reference: Chagas disease)

 

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 24, 2018 05:32 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).