ArticlePLoS neglected tropical diseases2018
The economic value of identifying and treating Chagas disease patients earlier and the impact on Trypanosoma cruzi transmission.
Article in PLoS neglected tropical diseases, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 27 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
27 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- The economic burden of Chagas disease: A systematic review.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Pooled it
- SBC Guideline on the Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients with Cardiomyopathy of Chagas Disease - 2023.Arquivos brasileiros de cardiologia · 2023Guideline
- A New Nitroimidazole-Based Drug Attenuates Skeletal Myositis and Overcomes Benznidazole Resistance in Experimental Chagas Disease.ACS pharmacology & translational science · 2026Article
- Evaluation of a Novel Tc-24 Recombinant Antigen ELISA for Serologic Detection of Trypanosoma cruzi Infection in Dogs: A Pilot Study.Veterinary medicine and science · 2025Article
- (In)coherence between Chagas disease policy and the experiences of those affected in Mexico: The need for a transdisciplinary approach.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Adverse events associated with benznidazole treatment for Chagas disease in children and adults.British journal of clinical pharmacology · 2024Article
- Identification of highly conservedEmerging microbes & infections · 2024Article
- Chagas Disease Diagnosis withVaccines · 2024Article
- Vaccination with parasite-specific TcTASV proteins combined with recombinant baculovirus as a delivery platform protects against acute and chronicFrontiers in cellular and infection microbiology · 2024Article
- Five-year serological and clinical evolution of chronic Chagas disease patients in Cochabamba, Bolivia.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2023Observational
- What Do You Need to Know before Studying Chagas Disease? A Beginner's Guide.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2023Review
- Proof of Concept of a Novel Multiepitope Recombinant Protein for the Serodiagnosis of Patients with Chagas Disease.Pathogens (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Article
- Silver Nanoparticles Containing Fucoidan Synthesized by Green Method Have Anti-Nanomaterials (Basel, Switzerland) · 2022Article
- Review
- Platelets, Macrophages, and Thromboinflammation in Chagas Disease.Journal of inflammation research · 2022Review
- T-Cell Subpopulations Exhibit Distinct Recruitment Potential, Immunoregulatory Profile and Functional Characteristics in Chagas versus Idiopathic Dilated Cardiomyopathies.Frontiers in cardiovascular medicine · 2022Article
- Acute Pediatric Chagas Disease in Antioquia, Colombia: A Geographic Location of Suspected Oral Transmission.Microorganisms · 2021Article
- Immunomodulation and Antioxidant Activities as Possible Trypanocidal and Cardioprotective Mechanisms of Major Terpenes fromAntioxidants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Article
- Clinical and Epidemiological Characterization of Acute Chagas Disease in Casanare, Eastern Colombia, 2012-2020.Frontiers in medicine · 2021Article
- Economic evaluations addressing diagnosis and treatment strategies for neglected tropical diseases: an overview.Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de Sao Paulo · 2021Review
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundThe World Health Organization's 2020 Goals for Chagas disease include access to antiparasitic treatment and care of all infected/ill patients. Policy makers need to know the economic value of identifying and treating patients earlier. However, the economic value of earlier treatment to cure and prevent the Chagas' spread remains unknown.
methodsWe expanded our existing Chagas disease transmission model to include identification and treatment of Chagas disease patients. We linked this to a clinical and economic model that translated chronic Chagas disease cases into health and economic outcomes. We evaluated the impact and economic outcomes (costs, cost-effectiveness, cost-benefit) of identifying and treating different percentages of patients in the acute and indeterminate disease states in a 2,000-person village in Yucatan, Mexico.
resultsIn the absence of early treatment, 50 acute and 22 new chronic cases occurred over 50 years. Identifying and treating patients in the acute stage averted 0.5-5.4 acute cases, 0.6-5.5 chronic cases, and 0.6-10.8 disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), saving $694-$7,419 and $6,976-$79,950 from the third-party payer and societal perspectives, respectively. Treating in the indeterminate stage averted 2.2-4.9 acute cases, 6.1-12.8 chronic cases, and 11.7-31.1 DALYs, saving $7,666-$21,938 from the third-party payer perspective and $90,530-$243,068 from the societal perspective. Treating patients in both stages averted ≤9 acute cases and ≤15 chronic cases. Identifying and treating patients early was always economically dominant compared to no treatment. Identifying and treating patients earlier resulted in a cumulative cost-benefit of $7,273-$224,981 at the current cost of identification and treatment.
conclusionsEven when identifying and treating as little as 5% of cases annually, treating Chagas cases in the acute and indeterminate stages reduces transmission and provides economic and health benefits. This supports the need for improved diagnostics and access to safe and effective treatment.
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