Frequency of Hypertension in Chronic Chagas ’ Disease. Retrospective Clinical Study Original Article

In the literature, data on the association of hyperten-sion and chronic Chagas ’ disease are scarce. This study was justified by the well-known impairment of the parasym-pathetic nervous system in chagasic patients. This alte-ration determines a greater sympathetic activity, enabling a probable influence on the genesis of systemic hyperten-sion in these patients. Previous studies revealed that the possibility of chagasic individuals to develop hypertension seemed to be similar to that of nonchagasic individuals 1,2. Other authors 3, however, mainly in Argentina, reported lower blood pressure levels in chagasic individuals as compared with those of the general population. The present study aimed at assessing the incidence of hypertension in patients with chronic Chagas ’ disease, and at correlating the findings according to sex, age, and the alterations on the electrocardiogram and chest radiogram. Methods We retrospectively studied the medical records of pa-tients with chronic Chagas ’ disease followed up in the out-patient care clinics of the Chagas ’ Disease Study Group (Grupo de Estudos da Doença de Chagas- GEDoCh) of the Cardiology Service of the Pontifícia Universidade Católic