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Ischaemic stroke in chagasic patients
  1. A L Teixeira, Jr1,
  2. M M Teixeira1
  1. 1Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Belo Horizonte, Brazil
  1. Correspondence to:
 A L Teixeira Jr
 Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais (UFMG), Departamento de Morfologia, Instituto de Ciências Biológicas, Av. Antônio Carlos, 6627, Pampulha, Belo Horizonte MC 31270-901, Brazil; altexjrhotmail.com

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We read with interest the paper by Carod-Artal et al1 that showed the relevance of Chagas’ disease as a stroke risk factor in patients of South American origin. They also confirmed a textbook view2 (not hitherto demonstrated) that cardioembolism is the main cause of stroke in Chagas’ disease, in 52% of cases. This reflects in part the underlying chagasic cardiomyopathy, characterised by congestive heart failure and arrhythmias, present in 46% of chagasic patients as compared with 25% of non-chagasic patients.

Despite the lack of comparison of stroke characteristics between both groups, one very interesting finding was the significant percentage of chagasic patients who developed stroke without any known vascular risk factors or cardiopathy. As the authors stated, undetected cardiovascular disease could account for at least part of this finding. …

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