Condition

Chagas disease

Clinical trials and treatment information for Chagas disease

6.3M
People Affected
15
Active Trials
30K
New Cases/Year
7,713
Deaths/Year

Treatment Rankings

Ranked by evidence volume first. Medicine has spent centuries ranking things by vibes. This is an improvement.

1
Benznidazole
75% Effectiveness• 85% Confidence• 35% Safety• 22 trials• 5K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 5-7 mg/kg/day for adults, 5-10 mg/kg/day for children, divided into 2 doses
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Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
35
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months for parasiticidal effect, years for clinical benefit

Duration

60 days

Response Rate

60%

Remission Rate

40%

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

7

Common Side Effects:

Dermatitis/Rash: 40%
Gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain): 30%
Peripheral neuropathy: 15%
Myelosuppression: 7%
Hepatitis (elevated liver enzymes): 10%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,500

Monitoring

$2,500

Side Effects

$750

Total Annual

$4,750

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.15

ICER

$11,570/QALY

Cost per Remission

$11,875

Cost per Responder

$7,917

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Trypanosoma cruzi DNA Load (copies/mL by qPCR)1000 copies/mL
-99% (-990 copies/mL (aiming for undetectable in majority of successfully treated patients))
Anti-T. cruzi IgG Antibody Index (ELISA)3.0 (index value above cutoff)
-65% (-1.95 index units (e.g., from 3.0 to 1.05))
C-reactive Protein (CRP) in acute phase30 mg/L
-80% (-24 mg/L (towards normal <5 mg/L))
Secondary Benefits
Quality of Life (Chagas-specific questionnaire score)60/100 points
+10% (+6 points)
N-terminal pro-B-type Natriuretic Peptide (NT-proBNP)180 pg/mL
-20% (-36 pg/mL)
6-Minute Walk Test Distance450 meters
+5% (+22.5 meters)
Common Side Effects
Dermatitis/Rash
+40%
Gastrointestinal disturbances (nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain)
+30%
Peripheral neuropathy
+15%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4
2
Nifurtimox
70% Effectiveness• 80% Confidence• 30% Safety• 12 trials• 3K participants
HIGH EvidenceExcellent ValueDose: 8-10 mg/kg/day for adults, 10-20 mg/kg/day for children, divided into 3 doses
Find Trials

Comparative Safety Scale(Higher is safer)

Cyanide☠️
Meth💀
Cigarettes🚬
Chemo☢️
Alcohol🍺
Morphine💊
Antibiotics💉
Tylenol💊
Exercise🏃
Water💧
30
DangerousModerateSafe

Time to Effect

Weeks to months for parasiticidal effect, years for clinical benefit

Duration

60-90 days

Response Rate

55%

Remission Rate

35%

Number Needed to Harm (NNH)

4

Common Side Effects:

Gastrointestinal disturbances (anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain): 65%
Neurological symptoms (dizziness, insomnia, headache): 40%
Peripheral neuropathy: 15%
Skin reactions: 15%
Weight loss: 15%

Annual Cost of Care

Drug Cost

$1,500

Monitoring

$2,750

Side Effects

$1,000

Total Annual

$5,250

Cost-Effectiveness

EXCELLENT

QALYs Gained

0.1

ICER

$15,681/QALY

Cost per Remission

$15,000

Cost per Responder

$9,545

Treatment Outcomes
Primary Outcomes
Proportion of patients with positive T. cruzi PCR100% positive for T. cruzi DNA
-75% (-75 percentage points)
T. cruzi parasite load (copies/mL plasma)3000 copies/mL
-95% (-2850 copies/mL)
Proportion of patients with positive T. cruzi serology100% positive for T. cruzi antibodies
-30% (-30 percentage points)
Incidence of Chagasic Cardiomyopathy5% annual incidence in untreated chronic patients
-60% (-3 percentage points)
Secondary Benefits
Progression of ECG abnormalities (e.g., new conduction blocks, arrhythmias)5% new abnormalities per year in untreated chronic patients
-50% (-2.5 percentage points)
Chagas-specific Quality of Life Questionnaire Score (0-100, higher is better)60 points
+10% (+6 points)
Annual hospitalization rate for Chagas-related complications10 per 100 patient-years
-30% (-3 hospitalizations per 100 patient-years)
Common Side Effects
Gastrointestinal disturbances (anorexia, nausea, vomiting, abdominal pain)
+65%
Neurological symptoms (dizziness, insomnia, headache)
+40%
Peripheral neuropathy
+15%

Clinical Trial Phases:

Phase 4