Lesson Summary

The acute phase, which starts after an incubation period of 1 to 2 weeks after infection, lasts approximately 8 weeks and usually causes mild or no symptoms. In the absence of treatment, patients progress to the chronic phase of infection. Most patients have no signs or symptoms of Chagas disease (the indeterminate form of chronic Chagas disease) and remain asymptomatic for life.

However, approximately 20% - 30% of patients progress to clinical manifestations of Chagas disease (determinate forms) over the course of their lifetimes. The most common clinical manifestation is heart disease, often referred to as Chagas cardiomyopathy, with characteristic conduction system abnormalities such as right bundle branch block, anterior fascicular block or first, second, or complete AV block. Gastrointestinal manifestations of chronic Chagas disease include megaesophagus and megacolon.

People with chronic Chagas disease can develop reactivation disease if they become immunosuppressed, most commonly because of HIV/AIDS or organ transplantation.