Chagas disease: tackling the invisibility through the analysis of life histories of chronic patients

Abstract

The scope of this article is to analyze the life histories of Chagas disease (CD) patients, searching for elements in their narratives that might present possibilities for coping with this problem. Caused by the protozoan Trypanoso-ma cruzi, Chagas disease combines conditions of infection and/or progression to disease, in accor-dance with biological and social determinants and affects around 6 to 7 million people infected with T. cruzi. More than 6,000 people die each year due to complications in the chronic CD phase. This is a qualitative study using the life history technique that was used in open interviews. We collected a wealth of material with which we can work on the context of the disease in multiple dimensions. We associate sensitive listening with the needs of people living with the CD to give strength to their voice, valuing their own life story, transforming them into masters of their history and knowledge. Visibility emerged and prevailed, exposing the disease itself as a central theme and two general sub-themes: their perceptions about the disease and their own life, in the context of the disease. We identified the need to (re)think the problem of Chagas disease as something visible and present.