Neurological Manifestations in Chagas Disease without Cardiac Dysfunction: Correlation between Dysfunction of the Parasympathetic Nervous System and White Matter Lesions in the Brain

Abstract

There is a significant correlation between parasympathetic nervous system dysfunction and the presence of white matter lesions in patients with chronic Chagas disease without cardiac dysfunction. The pathogenesis of such lesions is unknown, but cardiac arrhythmias could be involved. As hypertension was frequent in our sample and also correlated to MRI hyperintensities, studies excluding hypertensive patients are needed to confirm our results.