[Eye involvement in Chagas disease (American trypanosomiasis). 1996/1997 studies in Paraguay]

Abstract

Last year's pilot study, which examined for the first time a representative group of patients with Chagas disease, showed that in this parasitosis changes in the ocular fundus can be expected in the form of defects of the retinal pigment epithelium. Examination of more patients in this study should give further information about the character and extent of the alterations found. MATERIALS AND METHODS: After serological confirmation of the disease, we performed an ophthalmological examination of the anterior and posterior segments. RESULTS: In 21 out of 23 patients the fundus was unobtrusive; 1 patient showed fibrae medullares and 1 patient clear pigment dispersion on the posterior pole. Together with the pilot study, a total of 102 chagasic patients were examined. In 8 patients (7.8%) defects of the retinal pigment epithelium were found, which did not cause any significant loss of vision. CONCLUSIONS: We presume that the described defects are a matter of rare and harmless postinflammatory or immunological changes in the American type of trypanosomiasis.