3Mar/061
Symptoms of Chagas’ Disease
Chagas disease has two stages: acute and chronic.
Symptoms in the acute phase may only occur in about 1% of Chagas cases, and will generally appear approximately one to two weeks following infection.
Acute Stage Symptoms:
- fever
- facial swelling or swelling around the site of the bite
- enlarged and painful lymph glands and fatigue
- In infants or young children severe brain damage causing death may occur. The symptoms may last for 4-8 weeks before disappearing
In the chronic stage of the disease, symptoms may not appear until 10, 20, 30 or even 40 years following infection
Chronic Stage Symptoms:
- Cardiac problems including cardiomyopathy (or an enlarged heart); altered heart rate or heart rhythm abnormalities, or cardiac arrest
- Esophagus enlargement or increasing size of the large bowel causing difficulties with swallowing or severe constipation