Serological diagnosis of Chagas disease in HIV-infected patients

Abstract

Introduction: This study assessed the rate of request for the serological diagnosis of Chagas disease among human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-infected patients treated at the Specialized Care Service of Pelotas, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Methods: This cross-sectional study used secondary data obtained from the medical records of 252 patients aged between 18 and 75 years. Results: The serological diagnosis of Chagas disease was requested only in 3.2% of cases. Conclusions: The results demonstrate poor adherence to protocols on the part of healthcare professionals, indicating the need to reevaluate the procedures applied to HIV-infected patients from endemic regions for both diseases.