Most reports of Chagas disease deal with the late sequelae. Acute Chagas disease may be associated with a number of signs and symptoms.
A patient with acute Chagas disease may present with:
(1) fever lasting > 7 days
(2) headache
(3) abdominal pain
(4) dry cough
(5) myalgias
(6) rash, erythema nodosum and/or facial edema
(7) variable diarrhea
(8) variable malaise
(9) variable arthralgias
(10) variable dyspnea
(11) variable gingivitis
(12) variable myocarditis with supraventricular tachyarrhythrmias and/or ECG changes
The signs and symptoms are nonspecific so diagnosis requires confirmation by some test:
(1) examination of a blood smear
(2) serologic testing
(3) PCR
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Specialty: Infectious Diseases
