Factors associated with major electrocardiographic abnormalities in chagas disease patients: SaMi-trop cohort

Chagas disease (CD) is a neglected parasitic disease. Up to 42% of infected individuals may present with cardiac involvement. The electrocardiogram (ECG) is capable of detecting these progressive changes, starting with borderline modifications and advancing to more severe manifestations, classified as major abnormalities. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the factors associated with major electrocardiographic abnormalities in patients with CD from a cohort established in Minas Gerais. This is a cross-sectional study using data from the SaMi-Trop cohort. The dependent variable was defined based on the ECG result, which assessed the presence of major abnormalities. The independent variables were grouped into four categories: Sociodemographic, cardiovascular disease risk factors, cardiovascular disease symptoms, and CD treatment. Multinomial Logistic Regression was performed. A total of 1,938 individuals with positive serology for CD, aged over 18 years, participated in the study. Among them, 1,126 (58.1%) had major abnormalities in the ECG. In the multinomial logistic regression, higher likelihood of major abnormalities was observed among male individuals, those with hypertension, those without dyslipidemia, those with heart failure symptoms, and those who had not previously used Benznidazole. This study reveals that some modifiable characteristics and previous treatment of CD are associated with the presence of major abnormalities on the ECG.