Chagas Disease Symptoms
Chagas disease is a condition that is common in South and Central America. Chagas disease is an inflammatory disease that is caused by a parasitic infection. The carrier of this infection is the reduviid bug. Chagas disease is an infectious condition and can be spread through blood transfusions, organ transplants and breast milk. The most common sufferers of chagas disease are children. The reason for this is that children tend to be less careful about where and how they play. A child can get infected with chagas disease by rubbing dirty hands on the eyes or mouth. These hands should have come into contact with the fecal material from the reduviid bug. Other methods of contracting chagas disease include the consumption of food that is infested with the material from the reduviid bug. This is especially true of food that has not been properly cleaned properly.
Because of the nature of the condition, chagas disease tends to affect lower income groups more often. In most of the places where it is prevalent, sanitation facilities tend to be minimal or nonexistent. Further, the bug tends to be present in thatched roof surfaces which makes it ideally suited to lower income houses that are often in the form of temporary or permanent shanty towns.
There is no way in which one can be vaccinated against chagas disease. The best way to avoid being infected by this disease is to ensure that you are following the proper hygienic steps needed to make sure that there is no contact with the fecal matter from this bug. Individuals can try to avoid staying and sleeping in mud based settlements or those with thatched roofs. This will reduce, if not eliminate the chances of picking up the infection. People who are able to access insecticides should spray their living quarters regularly, particularly before going to sleep. This will further reduce the chances of interaction with the reduvii bug and with the infectious material that it carries. Individuals who are traveling through these areas should also carry soaps or solutions that can be used against dirt and fecal matter that has been picked up. General good hygiene will help to a great extent in such a situation.
Before discussing the chagas disease treatment, one needs to be aware of the symptoms of chagas disease. Some of the common chagas disease symptoms include swelling on the infection site, fever, loss of appetite, nausea, rash, headaches, diarrhea and vomiting. The most crucial amongst these chagas disease symptoms is that of the inflammation at the infection site. All the other symptoms may be mistaken for other medical conditions. The presence of an inflammation is the key in diagnosing the condition. Over time, the condition may cause other more dangerous symptoms. These symptoms include irregular heart beat and inflammation of the heart muscles. Over a period of time, this significantly elevates the risk of sudden heart attacks. The stage when the disease is displaying symptoms of an acute nature is the stage when treatment is possible. These acute symptoms include the fever, inflammation and related symptoms. At this stage, chagas disease treatment can be performed effectively. However, when the individual develops further symptoms such as an inflamed heart, there is little that can be done to arrest the condition. Therefore, it is best to ensure that one receives chagas disease treatment immediately once the symptoms have been discovered. A delay in chagas disease treatment can lead to catastrophic results.
Therefore, those who have traveled to known locations of the disease and experience some symptoms should present at an emergency room immediately. It is likely that the condition may be something else, but there is no reason to take a chance.
