Document Type

Letter

Version Deposited

Published Version

Publication Date

12-2-2024

Publication Title

JAMA Netw Open

DOI

10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.49120

Abstract

Chagas disease is a neglected tropical disease caused by the parasite Trypanosoma cruzi that affects 6 million people worldwide. In the United States, Chagas is estimated to affect 43 000 women of reproductive age. Pregnant persons with Chagas are at risk for congenital transmission to the newborn, which accounts for nearly a quarter of all new cases. In 2022, a US multidisciplinary expert working group4 developed recommendations for increased clinician-directed screening for Chagas. They concluded that women of reproductive age who were born in endemic countries should be tested due to vertical transmission risk. In 2024, Clark and Bern outlined similar recommendations and endorsed prenatal visits as an opportunity to screen pregnant people. There is a paucity of maternal prevalence data to inform an optimal screening strategy. Thus, we sought to evaluate the maternal seroprevalence of Chagas disease among persons who presented for childbirth in Philadelphia who identified as Hispanic and were born in an endemic country.

Creative Commons License

Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Published Citation

Proaño A, Shah NC, Gutierrez Guarnizo SA, et al. Targeted Maternal Chagas Disease Screening Among Individuals Born in a Chagas-Endemic Country. JAMA Netw Open. 2024;7(12):e2449120. doi:10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2024.49120

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