Fig 1.
Flowchart of study population and design.
(A) Study population providing the geographical location of study municipality and the patients`groups. Map of Brazil highlighting the state of Minas Gerais in gray and map of Minas Gerais State highlighting the Jequitinhonha Valley, MG, Brazil, a region of intense CD transmission in the past decades. The maps were designed by the authors using the Clip Studio Paint Ver. 3 (CELSYS, Inc, Tokyo, Japan). The base layer of the map: https://www.ibge.gov.br/geociencias/downloads-geociencias. (B) Laboratorial methods used for patients monitoring, comprising Parasitological/Molecular and Serological tests. (C) Cure Criteria employed for patients monitoring, including classic and alternative criteria. (D) Analysis of patients` survival.
Table 1.
Baseline features of the study of patients with chronic Chagas disease categorized as BZ-treated and NT.
Table 2.
Follow-up of benznidazole treated chronic Chagas disease patients using different laboratorial methods for cure assessment.
Fig 2.
Parasitological and molecular parasitological evaluation by hemoculture (A), PCR (B), and qPCR (C) of patients with chronic CD categorized as BZ-treated and NT.
Table 3.
Follow-up of not treated chronic Chagas disease patients using different laboratorial methods for cure assessment.
Fig 3.
Follow-up profile of patients with chronic CD categorized as BZ-treated and NT monitored by conventional (ELISA) and non-conventional (Chagas-Flow ATE) serology.
(A) Overall profile of ELISA and Chagas-Flow ATE results of BZ-T and NT groups. (B) Individual ELISA and Chagas-Flow ATE results of BZ-T group at 9-year and 27-year follow-up.
Fig 4.
Timeline monitoring of patients with chronic CD categorized as BZ-treated and NT considering: (A) first (classic criterion); (B) second and (C) third cure criteria at distinct time points during follow-up.
Table 4.
Laboratorial analysis and survival outcome in benznidazole treated chronic Chagas disease patients at 27-year follow-up.
Table 5.
Laboratorial analysis and survival outcome in not treated chronic Chagas disease patients at 27-year follow-up.
Table 6.
Survival estimates for mortality of patients with chronic Chagas disease categorized as BZ-treated and NT upon 27-year follow-up.
Fig 5.
Overall analysis of the survival probability for death of patients with chronic CD categorized according to: (A) BZ-treatment [BZ-T and NT], (B) sex [males and females] and (C) age ranges [41-56 and 57-68 years old].