Recent trends in hospital admissions and outcomes of cardiac Chagas disease in the United States

Background: Chagas disease (CD), caused by Trypanosoma cruzi, has been increasingly encountered as a cause of cardiovascular disease in the United States. We aimed to examine trends of hospital admissions and cardiovascular outcomes of cardiac CD (CCD). Methods: Search of 2003-2011 Nationwide Inpatient Sample database identified 949 (age 57±16 years, 51% male, 72.5% Hispanic) admissions for CCD. Results: A significant increase in the number of admissions for CCD was noted during the study period (OR=1.054; 95% CI=1.028-1.081; P Conclusions: Despite the remaining concerns about lack of awareness of CCD in the US, an increasing number of hospital admissions were reported from 2003-2011. Serious cardiovascular abnormalities were highly prevalent in these patients and were frequently associated with fatal and nonfatal complications.