COVID-19: Implications for People with Chagas Disease

Ezequiel Zaidel; Colin Forsyth; Gabriel Novick; Rachel Marcus; Antonio Luiz Ribeiro; Maria Jesus Pinazo; Carlos Morillo; Luis Eduardo Echeverria; Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda; Pierre Buekens; Pablo Perel; Sheba Meymandi; Kate Ralston; Fausto Pinto; Sergio Sosa-Estani

doi:10.1590/SciELOPreprints.1144

article.authors6a361521e674e

Ezequiel Zaidel Sanatorio Güemes, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Pharmacology Department, School of Medicine, University of Buenos Aires, Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8349-7507
Colin Forsyth Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1481-8367
Gabriel Novick Swiss Medical Group, Buenos Aires, Argentina and Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, Tufts University, Boston, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5664-7522
Rachel Marcus Latin American Society of Chagas, Washington, DC, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6229-8864
Antonio Luiz Ribeiro Internal Medicine Department, School of Medicine, Federal University of Minas Gerais (UFMG), Belo Horizonte, Brazil and Hospital das Clínicas, UFMG, Belo Horizonte, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2740-0042
Maria Jesus Pinazo ISGlobal Hospital Clínic - University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4237-1075
Carlos Morillo Libin Cardiovascular Institute, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8739-2099
Luis Eduardo Echeverria Department of Cardiology, Cardiovascular Foundation of Colombia, Floriblanca, Colombia
Maria Aparecida Shikanai-Yasuda Department of Infectious and Parasitic Diseases, School of Medicine, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3864-041X
Pierre Buekens Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, USA https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4294-8559
Pablo Perel World Heart Federation, Geneva, Switzerland and Department of Non Communicable Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2342-301X
Sheba Meymandi Center of Excellence for Chagas Disease at Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, Sylmar, USA
Kate Ralston World Heart Federation, Geneva Switzerland
Fausto Pinto World Heart Federation, Geneva, Switzerland and Department of Cardiology, CCUL, Lisbon School of Medicine, Universidade de Lisboa, Portugal https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8034-4529
Sergio Sosa-Estani Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative-Latin America, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and Epidemiology and Public Health Research Center, (CIESP-CONICET), Buenos Aires, Argentina https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8701-5456

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.1590/SciELOPreprints.1144

Palavras-chave:

Chagas disease, COVID-19, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs)

Resumo

As the global COVID-19 pandemic advances, it increasingly impacts the vulnerable populations who already bear a heavy burden of neglected tropical diseases. Chagas disease (CD), a neglected parasitic infection, is of particular concern because of its potential to cause cardiac, gastrointestinal, and other complications which could increase susceptibility to COVID-19. The over one million people worldwide with chronic Chagas cardiomyopathy require special consideration because of COVID-19’s potential impact on the heart, yet the pandemic also affects treatment provision to people with acute or chronic indeterminate CD. In this document, a follow-up to the WHF-IASC Roadmap on CD, we assess the implications of coinfection with SARS-CoV-2 and Trypanosoma cruzi, the etiological agent of CD. Based on the limited evidence available, we provide preliminary guidance for testing, treatment, and management of patients affected by both diseases, while highlighting emerging healthcare access challenges and future research needs.