{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,9,12]],"date-time":"2026-09-12T01:50:29Z","timestamp":1789177829193,"version":"build-2803163510"},"update-to":[{"DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0010968","type":"new_version","label":"New version","source":"publisher","updated":{"date-parts":[[2023,1,3]],"date-time":"2023-01-03T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1672704000000}}],"reference-count":38,"publisher":"Public Library of Science (PLoS)","issue":"12","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,19]],"date-time":"2022-12-19T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1671408000000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"http:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"funder":[{"name":"FIPEC Foundation"},{"DOI":"10.13039\/501100014054","name":"Drugs for Neglected Diseases initiative","doi-asserted-by":"publisher","id":[{"id":"10.13039\/501100014054","id-type":"DOI","asserted-by":"publisher"}]}],"content-domain":{"domain":["www.plosntds.org"],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["PLoS Negl Trop Dis"],"abstract":"<jats:sec id=\"sec001\">\n<jats:title>Background<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>Parasite persistence after acute infection with <jats:italic>Trypanosoma cruzi<\/jats:italic> is an important factor in the development of Chagas disease (CD) cardiomyopathy. Few studies have investigated the clinical effectiveness of CD treatment through the evaluation of cardiological events by long term follow-up of treated children. Cardiological evaluation in children is challenging since features that would be diagnosed as abnormal in an adult\u2019s ECG may be normal, age-related findings in a pediatric ECG trace. The objective was to evaluate cardiac involvement in patients with Chagas disease with a minimum follow-up of 6 years post-treatment.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec002\">\n<jats:title>Methodology<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A descriptive study of a cohort of pediatric patients with CD treated with benznidazole (Bz) or nifurtimox (Nf) was conducted. Children (N = 234) with at least 6 years post CD treatment followed at the Parasitology and Chagas Service, Buenos Aires Children\u2019s Hospital (Argentina) were enrolled. By convenience sampling, children who attended a clinical visit between August 2015 and November 2019 were also invited to participate for additional cardiovascular studies like 24-hour Holter monitoring and speckle-tracking 2D echocardiogram (STE). Benznidazole was prescribed in 171 patients and nifurtimox in 63 patients. Baseline parasitemia data was available for 168\/234 patients.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p>During the follow-up period, alterations in routine ECG were observed in 11\/234 (4.7%, 95% CI [2\u20137.4%]) patients. In only four patients, with complete right bundle branch block (cRBBB) and left anterior fascicular block (LAFB), ECG alterations were considered probably related to CD.<\/jats:p>\n<jats:p>During follow-up, 129\/130 (99%) treated patients achieved persistent negative parasitemia by qPCR. Also decrease in <jats:italic>T<\/jats:italic>.<jats:italic>cruzi<\/jats:italic> antibodies titers was observed in all patients and negative seroconversion occurred in 123\/234 (52%) patients.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec003\">\n<jats:title>Conclusions<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>A low incidence of cardiological lesions related to CD was observed in patients treated early for pediatric CD. This suggests a protective effect of parasiticidal treatment on the development of cardiological lesions and highlights the importance of early treatment of infected children.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>\n<jats:sec id=\"sec004\">\n<jats:title>Trial registration<\/jats:title>\n<jats:p>ClinicalTrials.gov <jats:ext-link xmlns:xlink=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/1999\/xlink\" ext-link-type=\"uri\" xlink:href=\"https:\/\/clinicaltrials.gov\/ct2\/show\/NCT04090489\" xlink:type=\"simple\">NCT04090489<\/jats:ext-link>.<\/jats:p>\n<\/jats:sec>","DOI":"10.1371\/journal.pntd.0010968","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,19]],"date-time":"2022-12-19T18:31:53Z","timestamp":1671474713000},"page":"e0010968","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.1371\/journal.pntd.corrections_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":9,"title":["Long-term cardiology outcomes in children after early treatment for Chagas disease, an observational study"],"prefix":"10.1371","volume":"16","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0001-7116-1002","authenticated-orcid":true,"given":"Nicol\u00e1s Leonel","family":"Gonz\u00e1lez","sequence":"first","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Guillermo","family":"Moscatelli","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Samanta","family":"Moroni","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Griselda","family":"Ballering","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Laura","family":"Jurado","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Nicol\u00e1s","family":"Falk","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Andr\u00e9s","family":"Bochoeyer","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Alejandro","family":"Goldsman","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Mar\u00eda","family":"Grippo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"H\u00e9ctor","family":"Freilij","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Facundo","family":"Garcia Bournissen","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Eric","family":"Chatelain","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]},{"given":"Jaime","family":"Altcheh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[],"role":[{"vocabulary":"crossref","role":"author"}]}],"member":"340","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2022,12,19]]},"reference":[{"key":"pntd.0010968.ref001","article-title":"Chagas Disease: A Clinical Approach.","author":"JM Altcheh","year":"2019","journal-title":"Springer Nature"},{"issue":"2","key":"pntd.0010968.ref002","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"e0015221","DOI":"10.1128\/cmr.00152-21","article-title":"Worldwide Control and Management of Chagas Disease in a New Era of Globalization: a Close Look at Congenital Trypanosoma cruzi Infection.","volume":"35","author":"A Abras","year":"2022","journal-title":"Clinical Microbiology Reviews"},{"issue":"37","key":"pntd.0010968.ref003","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.2807\/ese.16.37.19968-en","article-title":"Chagas disease in European countries: the challenge of a surveillance system.","volume":"16","author":"L Basile","year":"2011","journal-title":"Euro Surveill"},{"issue":"166","key":"pntd.0010968.ref004","article-title":"Chagas Disease: From Discovery to a Worldwide Health Problem.","volume":"7","author":"KCF Lidani","year":"2019","journal-title":"Frontiers in Public Health"},{"issue":"1","key":"pntd.0010968.ref005","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","DOI":"10.1128\/CMR.00023-19","article-title":"Chagas Disease in the United States: a Public Health Approach","volume":"33","author":"C Bern","year":"2019","journal-title":"Clinical Microbiology Reviews"},{"issue":"2","key":"pntd.0010968.ref006","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"92","DOI":"10.1016\/S1473-3099(01)00065-2","article-title":"Clinical and epidemiological aspects of Chagas disease","volume":"1","author":"A. 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