Chagas’ disease
Maira Gutierrez, who was born in El Salvador, has Chagas’ disease, a little-diagnosed illness caused by a parasite. Two-thirds of those affected never develop complications. But for about 30%, it can cause serious illness, often silently ravaging the heart muscle. ( Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
A patient has blood drawn to test for Chagas’ disease during a health fair in Northridge. Called a “silent killer,” Chagas’ disease affects millions of people worldwide, predominantly in Latin America, and can lead to death from heart failure. The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 300,000 people live with Chagas’ disease in the United States. However, most American physicians rule out Chagas as an exotic problem and don’t think to test for it, depriving thousands of people of diagnosis and life-saving treatment. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Dr. Sheba Meymandi, center, of the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center, which specializes in Chagas’ disease, talks with a patient at a health fair who is getting blood drawn to test for the disease. About 1 in 100 Latin American immigrants whom the center tests has the disease, which can trigger strokes and heart failure in people as young as 30. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
A poster showing carriers and effects of Chagas’ disease is on a display at a health fair in Northridge as people get tested. (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
Dr. Sheba Meymandi, background, is the director of the Olive View-UCLA Medical Center that specializes in treating Chagas’ disease. “This is not an exotic disease,” she says. “This is a prevalent disease that is treatable in our community. And until people think about it, we¿re not going to make inroads.” (Michael Robinson Chavez / Los Angeles Times)
