2008 - Communication Across the Curriculum (CAC)

Figure 2. This picture shows the difference
between a normal heart (left) and one with
left hypertrophy (right).
R e s e a r c h P a p e r
muscle mass, but the blood
pumping remains the same
(Montoya 233). Besides the
lymph nodes and heart, the
parasite can infect the liver,
spleen, and bone marrow,
causing megalias and
anemia. The parasite can
also invade the lungs and
sometimes it can produce
meningoencephalitis which
http://images.google.com/
is a condition that is marked
by the brain and meninges becoming inflamed (Restrepo et al
607).
Most of the patients survive the acute phase, enter the
asymptomatic or latent phase, and then the infection becomes
chronic. It’s known that in the chronic phase 30% of the patients
have cardiac damage. The principal clinic manifestation is
myocarditis, which can be asymptomatic for a long period
of time. Progressively, congestive cardiac insufficiency is
developed. Due to the cardiomegalia, the left ventricule
hypertrophies and the A-V
is blocked (Figure 3). There
have been 4 periods of
cardiopathy established for
this disease. The first one
has a positive serology,
but doesn’t have clinical
or electrocardiographic
Figure 3. Shows the difference between a evidence.
patient with a (a)normal and (b) an altered
EKG due to hypertrophy of left ventricle and The second one has
blocked A-V.
low symptomatology and
few electrocardiographic
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alterations. The third one
has a strong symptomathology, moderate cardiomegalia, and
electrocardiographic changes. The fourth one has an advanced
symptomatology, cardiac insufficiency, advanced cardiomegalia,
and several electrocardiographic alterations (Bastien 203).
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