The systemic reaction to severe trauma and/or infection, acute phase response (APR), are often associated with immunossupression and reactivation of chronic latent infection. Our main purpose was to verify, in a group of 71 autopsied chronic chagasic with or without APR, thefrequency of T. cruzi nests inthe central vein of adrenal gland (CVAG). APR, defined by: 1) death secondary to sepsis and/or trauma plus, 2) bleeding stress gastric ulcerations or 3) spleen reactional state or 4) liver steatosis, was observed in 30 chronic chagasic (APR +). Weight, height and body mass index (BM1) were obtained. APR (+) chronic chagasic had worse nutritional status than APR(~) ones: weight = 49.0 vs 54.5kg; BM1 = 17.5MS 20.6kg/m? (medianp < 0.05). CVAG T. cruzi nests frequency were similar (43.3% and 43,9%, respectively) between both Groups. We conclude that APR(+) chronic chagasic had worse nutritional status than APR (-) ones, and that APR development did not change the CVAG T. cruzi nests frequency.
Chagas 'disease; Acute phase response; Nutritional status; Central vein of adrenal gland