Treatment of Chagas disease

Abstract

Although Chagas disease has existed for at least 9000 years, its treatment is recent: the internationally accepted drugs nifurtimox and benznidazole date from the 1970s. Both drugs are effective in acute cases, in congenital cases, in reactivation of chronic cases, and in new chronic cases. Its usefulness in chronic cases has not been shown, except in young women of childbearing age where it has prevented congenital infection and in some cases prevented the development of heart disease. In chronic chagasic cardiopathy benznidazole doesn’t improve the clinical course of the disease. Both drugs cause at least 30% of secondary effects.