Welcome to DU! The truly grassroots left-of-center political community where regular people, not algorithms, drive the discussions and set the standards. Join the community: Create a free account Support DU (and get rid of ads!): Become a Star Member Latest Breaking News Editorials & Other Articles General Discussion The DU Lounge All Forums Issue Forums Culture Forums Alliance Forums Region Forums Support Forums Help & Search

Roverticus

(74 posts)
Fri Aug 31, 2012, 03:34 PM Aug 2012

Chagas: one bite now, causes heart failure 20 years later

[IMG][/IMG]

One night you are sleeping peacefully, when suddenly a small bug drops down from the rafters above and decides to feed on your face. After sucking your blood to its heart’s content, the bug proceeds to defecate in the same space it had just enjoyed a meal. You awake the next morning with a swollen bite and scratch away to relieve the itch. In a few days you develop flu like symptoms – headache, diarrhea, fever, the works. A few weeks later, you have conquered the sickness. Years pass and the incident seems nothing more than the distant haze of a memory. Then one day, 20 years into the future, your heart stops working and you die. An autopsy reveals a megacolon (enlarged colon) and a megaesophagus (enlarged esophagus).

This story is repeated 20,000 times every year throughout the Americas. Chagas: a parasitic infection passed through the fecal matter of reduvid bugs, is the disease behind the mystery. Health services estimate eight to 11 million people carry the disease in the western hemisphere. Though early treatment of the disease can prevent its delayed chronic symptoms, the majority of carriers do not know they have been infected.
...

more: http://revpana.wordpress.com/2012/08/31/chagas-one-bite-now-causes-heart-failure-20-years-later/

2 replies = new reply since forum marked as read
Highlight: NoneDon't highlight anything 5 newestHighlight 5 most recent replies
Chagas: one bite now, causes heart failure 20 years later (Original Post) Roverticus Aug 2012 OP
i used to see rural black kids down south with the lesions. Warpy Aug 2012 #1
How does the parasite procreate once in the body??? dixiegrrrrl Aug 2012 #2

Warpy

(113,131 posts)
1. i used to see rural black kids down south with the lesions.
Fri Aug 31, 2012, 05:22 PM
Aug 2012

I only found out what they were from much later.

The good news is that we have antiparasitic drugs to treat it. The bad news is that no one is diagnosed until they start running into real trouble.

Latest Discussions»Support Forums»Chronic Health Conditions Discussion and Support»Chagas: one bite now, cau...