New treatment brings hope to those who are bitten by the kiss virus



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AAlthough benznidazole is effective, 20% of patients do not follow treatment because of side effects such as rashes, fever, vomiting, and sleep disturbances.

"The current treatment can have serious side effects, which has often discouraged some people from seeking treatment and the health professionals to recommend it," said Dr. Joaquim Gascon, director of the Chagas Initiative at Institute for Global Health in Barcelona (ISGlobal), and principal investigators.

"In this study, however, we have shown that shorter doses of benznidazole have the same positive results," he said.

Most people with Chagas are infected as children, but since it usually causes few symptoms, many people are unaware that they have the disease.

However, 30 to 40% of people show symptoms years or even decades later, most often heart damage due to the concealment of parasites in the heart of the host. This can lead to sudden death or progressive heart failure.

For this study, researchers compared six benznidazole regimens of different durations and dosages in Chagas patients in rural Bolivia.

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