Chagas’ disease (ChD) is a parasitic disease endemic to regions of Latin America and with an increasingly global reach. Up to 30% of patients with ChD develop severe dilated cardiomyopathy, ventricular arrhythmias, conduction disorders and/or sudden cardiac death. Autoantibodies against M muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (M mAChR) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of ChD. We sought to understand whether there was an association between anti-M mAChR autoantibody titers in patients with chronic ChD and the presence of distal cardiac conduction disorders or cardiac arrhythmias. We conducted a cross-sectional study in 79 patients from Argentina and Bolivia with chronic ChD without evident structural heart disease. Autoantibody titers were measured using indirect enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Elevated anti-M mAChR autoantibody titers were associated with the presence of distal conduction disease but not with cardiac arrhythmias. High anti-M mAChR autoantibody levels could assist with identifying early structural heart disease in patients with chronic ChD.
About The Expert
Justo Carbajales
Dhruv Krishnan
Mario Principato
Alejandro Tomatti
Analía Paolucci
Hyun Sok Yoo
Alejandra von Wulffen
Natalia Ciampi
Rita Tepper
Jorge Carradori
Adrian Baranchuk
References
PubMed