Abstract
We describe the occurrence of small fiber neuropathy in a patient affected by Chagas disease in the indeterminate phase. After the exclusion of all the possible etiologies of small fiber neuropathy, the disorder was considered related to Trypanosoma cruzi infection. Although a peripheral involvement has been described in Chagas disease, this is the first report of a selective involvement of small fibers.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
References
Prata A (2001) Clinical and epidemiological aspects of Chagas’ disease. Lancet Infect Dis 1(2):92–100 (review)
Córdova E, Maiolo E, Corti M, Orduña T (2010) Neurological manifestations of Chagas’ disease. Neurol Res 32(3):238–244 (review)
Fortes-Rêgo J, Macedo VO, Prata A (1980) Peripheral neurological changes in chronic Chagas’ disease. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 38(1):45–52
Sica RE, Gonzalez Cappa SM, Sanz OP, Mirkin G (1995) Peripheral nervous system involvement in human and experimental chronic American trypanosomiasis. Bull Soc Pathol Exot 88:156–163
Tekiel V, Losavio A, Jones M, Muchnik S, González-Cappa SM (2001) Changes in the mouse sciatic nerve action potential after epineural injection of sera from Trypanosoma cruzi infected mice. Parasite Immunol 23(10):533–539
Davila DF, Inglessis G, Mazzei de Davila W (1998) Chagas’ heart disease and the autonomic nervous system. Int J Cardiol 66:123–127
Davila DF, Santiago JJ, Wodreman WA (2005) Vagal dysfunction and the pathogenesis of chronic Chagas disease. Int J Cardiol 103:227–229
Villar JC, Lèon H, Morillo CA (2004) Cardiovascular autonomic function testing in asymptomatic T. cruzi carriers: a sensitive method to identify subclinical Chagas’ disease. Int J Cardiol 93(2–3):189–195
Ribeiro ALP, Moraes RS, Ribeiro JP, Ferlin EL, Torres RM, Oliveira E, Rocha MOC (2001) Parasympathetic dysautonomia precedes left ventricular systolic dysfunction in Chagas disease. Am Hearth J 141:260–265
Vita G, Princi P, Calabro R, Toscano A, Manna L, Messina C (1986) Cardiovascular reflex tests. Assessment of age-adjusted normal range. J Neurol Sci 75(3):263–274
Provitera V, Nolano M, Caporaso G, Stancanelli A, Santoro L, Kennedy WR (2010) Evaluation of sudomotor function in diabetes using the dynamic sweat test. Neurology 74(1):50–56
Nolano M, Provitera V, Estraneo A, Selim MM, Caporaso G, Stancanelli A, Saltalamacchia AM, Lanzillo B, Santoro L (2008) Sensory deficit in Parkinson’s disease: evidence of a cutaneous denervation. Brain 131(Pt 7):1903–1911
da Silveira AB, Lemos EM, Adad SJ, Correa-Oliveira R, Furness JB, d’Avila Reis D (2007) Megacolon in Chagas disease: a study of inflammatory cells, enteric nerves, and glial cells. Hum Pathol 38(8):1256–1264
Nolano M, Provitera V, Donadio V, Stancanelli A, Saltalamacchia A, Caporaso G, Santoro L (2013) Ross syndrome: a lesson from a monozygotic twin pair. Neurology (Epub ahead of print)
da Silveira AB, Freitas MA, de Oliveira EC, Neto SG, Luquetti AO, Furness JB, Correa-Oliveira R, d’Avila Reis D (2008) Neuronal plasticity of the enteric nervous system is correlated with chagasic megacolon development. Parasitology 135(11):1337–1342
Manque PA, Probst CM, Pereira MC, Rampazzo RC, Ozaki LS, Pavoni DP, Silva Neto DT, Carvalho MR, Xu P, Serrano MG, Alves JM, Meirelles Mde N, Goldenberg S, Krieger MA, Buck GA (2011) Trypanosoma cruzi infection induces a global host cell response in cardiomyocytes. Infect Immun 79(5):1855–1862
Conflict of interest
The authors declare that they have no conflict of interest.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Nolano, M., Provitera, V., Manganelli, F. et al. Small fiber neuropathy in the chronic phase of Chagas disease: a case report. Clin Auton Res 23, 149–153 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-013-0189-7
Received:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10286-013-0189-7