# Chagas Disease in a Non-Endemic Setting: Clinical Profile, Treatment Outcomes, and Predictors of Cure in a 15-Year Cohort Study

## TL;DR

This study examines Chagas disease in a non-endemic region, focusing on patient characteristics, treatment outcomes, and factors predicting a cure.

## Contribution

The study identifies obesity as a key predictor of serological cure in non-endemic Chagas disease patients.

## Key findings

- Obesity was the only independent predictor of serological cure in treated patients.
- Cardiac symptoms were significantly associated with cardiac involvement, but digestive symptoms were not.
- Only 8.1% of treated patients achieved serological cure after a median of 26 months.

## Abstract

This retrospective cohort study aimed to assess clinical and epidemiological characteristics, treatment outcomes, and predictors of serological cure in patients with chronic Chagas disease in a non-endemic setting. All individuals aged ≥16 years with confirmed infection and evaluated at a tertiary hospital in Spain from 2008 to 2023 were included. Most of the 107 participants were women (78.5%) and Bolivian-born (99.1%). Digestive and cardiac involvement were identified in 32.7% and 17.8% of cases, respectively. Cardiac symptoms were significantly associated with the diagnostic findings of cardiac involvement (odds ratio [OR] 3.0, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.1–8.2), whereas digestive symptoms did not correlate with imaging abnormalities (OR 0.7, 95% CI 0.3–1.6). Antiparasitic treatment, usually benznidazole, was initiated in 69% of patients and led to adverse events in 66.2%, with treatment discontinuation in 25.7%. Only 8.1% of treated patients achieved serological cure after a median 26 months, with obesity emerging as the only independent predictor (adjusted OR 31.0, 95% CI 3.7–261.2). Cardiac progression occurred in 9.3% of patients despite treatment. Although 59.8% were lost to follow-up, the cohort maintained a median follow-up of 27 months. These findings underscore the need for improved treatment strategies and sustained clinical monitoring in non-endemic settings.