Screening for Chagas Disease during Pregnancy in the United States-A Literature Review.

ABSTRACT: Obstetrician-gynecologists in the United States have little clinical experience with the epidemiology, pathophysiology, diagnosis, and treatment of Chagas disease. The number of US parturients born in Central and South America has continued to increase over the last 20 years, making US obstetricians more and more likely to care for Chagas-infected mothers who may never be identified until dealing with long-term consequences of the disease. A literature search demonstrates that few US obstetric care providers recognize the risk of vertical transmission for the neonate and the missed opportunity of infant treatment to decrease disease prevalence. Most women will be asymptomatic during pregnancy, as will their neonates, making routine laboratory screening a necessity for the identification of

SUBMITTER: Livingston EG 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8704518 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature