by Forsyth CJ, Manne-Goehler J, Bern C, Whitman J, Hochberg NS, Edwards M, Marcus R, Beatty NL, Castro Y, Coyle C, Stigler-Granados P, Hamer D, Maguire JH, Gilman R, Meymandi S, U.S. Chagas Diagnostic Working Group. The Journal of Infectious Diseases 2021, 225(9):1601-1610. doi: 10.1093/infdis/jiab513
Summary: Chagas disease affects an estimated 326,000-347,000 people in the United States and is severely underdiagnosed. Lack of awareness and clarity regarding screening and diagnosis is a key barrier. In order to simplify identification and testing of people at risk, a multidisciplinary working group developed recommendations for U.S. healthcare providers based on the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology. They conclude that increasing provider-directed screening for T. cruzi infection is key to addressing this neglected public health challenge in the United States.
