@article{102384,
  keywords = {Trypanosoma cruzi, Chagas disease, Non-endemic area, Chagas Cardiomyopathy, Neglected tropical diseases (NTDs), Benznidazole},
  author = {Bea-Serrano C and de Gracia-León AI and Llenas-García J and Vela-Bernal S and Belmonte-Domingo A and Pinto-Pla C and Ferrer-Ribera A and Galindo MJ and Alcaraz MJ and Oltra Sempere MR},
  title = {Chagas Disease in a Non-Endemic Setting: Clinical Profile, Treatment Outcomes, and Predictors of Cure in a 15-Year Cohort Study},
  abstract = {<jats:p>This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess clinical and epidemiological characteristics, treatment outcomes, and predictors of serological cure in patients with chronic Chagas disease in a non-endemic setting. All individuals aged ≥16 years with confirmed infection and evaluated at a tertiary hospital in Spain from 2008 to 2023 were included. Most of the 107 participants were women (78.5%) and Bolivian-born (99.1%). Digestive and cardiac involvement were identified in 32.7% and 17.8% of cases, respectively. Cardiac symptoms were significantly associated with the diagnostic findings of cardiac involvement (odds ratio [OR] 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–8.2), whereas digestive symptoms did not correlate with imaging abnormalities (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.3–1.6). Antiparasitic treatment, usually benznidazole, was initiated in 69% of patients and led to adverse events in 66.2%, with treatment discontinuation in 25.7%. Only 8.1% of treated patients achieved serological cure after a median 26 months, with obesity emerging as the only independent predictor (adjusted OR 31.0, 95% CI 3.7–261.2). Cardiac progression occurred in 9.3% of patients despite treatment. Although 59.8% were lost to follow-up, the cohort maintained a median follow-up of 27 months. These findings underscore the need for improved treatment strategies and sustained clinical monitoring in non-endemic settings.</jats:p>},
  year = {2025},
  journal = {Tropical Medicine and Infectious Disease},
  volume = {10},
  pages = {16},
  publisher = {MDPI AG},
  issn = {2414-6366},
  url = {https://www.mdpi.com/2414-6366/10/6/161},
  doi = {10.3390/tropicalmed10060161},
  language = {eng},
}