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Medical Author:

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Charles Patrick Davis, MD, PhD

Dr. Charles "Pat" Davis, MD, PhD, is a board certified Emergency Medicine doctor who currently practices as a consultant and staff member for hospitals. He has a PhD in Microbiology (UT at Austin), and the MD (Univ. Texas Medical Branch, Galveston). He is a Clinical Professor (retired) in the Division of Emergency Medicine, UT Health Science Center at San Antonio, and has been the Chief of Emergency Medicine at UT Medical Branch and at UTHSCSA with over 250 publications.

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Medical Editor:

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP

Mary D. Nettleman, MD, MS, MACP is the Chair of the Department of Medicine at Michigan State University. She is a graduate of Vanderbilt Medical School, and completed her residency in Internal Medicine and a fellowship in Infectious Diseases at Indiana University.

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Medical Editor:

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD

Melissa Conrad Stöppler, MD, is a U.S. board-certified Anatomic Pathologist with subspecialty training in the fields of Experimental and Molecular Pathology. Dr. Stöppler's educational background includes a BA with Highest Distinction from the University of Virginia and an MD from the University of North Carolina. She completed residency training in Anatomic Pathology at Georgetown University followed by subspecialty fellowship training in molecular diagnostics and experimental pathology.

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In this Article

• Chagas disease (kissing bug disease) facts
• What is Chagas disease?
• What is the history of Chagas disease?
• What causes Chagas disease?
• What are Chagas disease symptoms and signs?
• How is Chagas disease diagnosed?
• What is the treatment for Chagas disease?
• Can transmission of Chagas disease be prevented with a vaccine?
• What are the risk factors for Chagas disease?
• What is the prognosis for Chagas disease?
• What are the complications of Chagas disease?
• What research is being done for Chagas disease?
• Chagas Disease Index

The symptoms of Chagas disease can be quite variable and range from no symptoms at all to severe and distressing symptoms. The first symptoms, when present in the acute phase, may include some of the following:

• Swelling and/or redness at the skin infection site (termed chagoma)
• Rash
• Swollen lymph nodes
• Fever
• Head and body aches
• Fatigue
• Nausea, vomiting, and/or diarrhea
• Liver and/or spleen enlargement
• Romaña sign (unilateral painless edema [swelling] of tissues around the eye)

Most individuals who get the above acute-phase symptoms have them resolve spontaneously in about three to eight weeks. Occasionally, acute infections show chronic symptoms (listed below) if the patient's immune function is weakened.

Most investigators suggest that the intermediate or indeterminate phase has no symptoms. This stage may last throughout the person's life and the individuals may never know they have Chagas disease, especially if they had mild or no symptoms in the acute phase. However, this stage may only last about 10-20 years in some patients before the chronic symptoms develop in about 10%-30% of those infected. Some researchers compare the chronic phase of Chagas disease to HIV/AIDS. Whereas HIV/AIDS slowly attacks the immune system, Chagas disease slowly attacks the heart and the tissues of the gastrointestinal tract. Other investigators consider such a comparison as unwarranted publicity or hype to spotlight Chagas disease.

Symptoms of chronic Chagas disease vary according to the organs most affected; in most cases, the heart or the gastrointestinal tract (or both) show the most serious symptoms. Chronic Chagas disease symptoms may include the following:

• Irregular heartbeats
• Palpitations
• Fainting (syncope)
• Cardiomyopathy (chronic disease of the heart muscle)
• Congestive heart failure
• Shortness of breath (dyspnea)
• Emphysema
• Stroke
• Sudden death
• Chronic abdominal pain
• Chronic constipation
• Dilated colon
• Difficulty swallowing

These symptoms are due to organ damage caused by the persistent presence of the parasites within the tissues of these organs. Chronic inflammation develops as the body reacts to the parasites; it affects the nerve cells or neurons in these tissues, causing electrical conduction changes in the heart (arrhythmias) and poor muscle tone in the intestines.