Subject(s)
Anemia, Aplastic/chemically induced , Leprostatic Agents/adverse effects , Leprosy, Lepromatous/drug therapy , Adult , Anemia, Aplastic/physiopathology , Anemia, Aplastic/therapy , Brazil , Clofazimine/adverse effects , Clofazimine/therapeutic use , Dapsone/adverse effects , Dapsone/therapeutic use , Disease Progression , Drug Therapy, Combination , Fatal Outcome , Humans , Leprostatic Agents/therapeutic use , Leprosy, Lepromatous/diagnosis , Male , Rifampin/adverse effects , Rifampin/therapeutic use , Risk Assessment , Severity of Illness IndexABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Presence of tattoos has been a criterion for temporary deferral of blood donors. Scientific evidence remains equivocal regarding the association between tattooing and transfusion-transmitted diseases (TTDs). METHODS: A cross-sectional matched study was undertaken among adults attending a Brazilian hospital and blood bank. The exposure of interest was having at least one permanent tattoo, and the outcomes were the presence of serological markers for the following TTDs: hepatitis B virus (HBV), hepatitis C virus (HCV) and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infections, syphilis, and Chagas' disease. Exposed and unexposed subjects were matched on age, sex, and main clinical complaint. Associations were assessed by odds ratios (ORs), adjusted for confounders by unconditional logistic regression. FINDINGS: The study recruited 345 subjects, 182 with tattoos. Having a tattoo was associated with HCV (OR: 6.41; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.29, 31.84), and with having at least one positive test for any TTD (OR: 2.05, 95% CI: 1.11, 3.81). No statistically significant associations were found between tattooing and HBV or HIV infection, syphilis or Chagas' disease, but these results are inconclusive given the large CI obtained. INTERPRETATION: Having a tattoo is not an important indicator for testing positive for a TTD, except for HCV infection. Taking into consideration the increasing prevalence of tattooing in the general population, the absolute need of a safe and sustainable blood supply and optimization of the cost-effectiveness of screening blood donors, further research on tattoos is urgently required.
Subject(s)
Blood Donors , Chagas Disease/blood , Tattooing/adverse effects , Transfusion Reaction , Virus Diseases/blood , Adolescent , Adult , Animals , Antibodies, Protozoan/blood , Antibodies, Protozoan/immunology , Antibodies, Viral/blood , Antibodies, Viral/immunology , Biomarkers/blood , Blood-Borne Pathogens , Brazil/epidemiology , Chagas Disease/epidemiology , Chagas Disease/transmission , Cross-Sectional Studies , Female , HIV/immunology , HIV/isolation & purification , Hepacivirus/immunology , Hepacivirus/isolation & purification , Hepatitis B virus/immunology , Hepatitis B virus/isolation & purification , Hospitals, Teaching , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Risk Factors , Seroepidemiologic Studies , Treponema pallidum/immunology , Treponema pallidum/isolation & purification , Trypanosoma cruzi/immunology , Trypanosoma cruzi/isolation & purification , Virus Diseases/epidemiology , Virus Diseases/transmissionABSTRACT
We report the case of a 52-year-old male heterosexual patient with acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) and reactivation of Chagas' disease manifested by meningoencephalitis and myocarditis, diagnosed post-mortem. Unexplained reactivation of Chagas' disease should be included among the diagnostic criteria of AIDS in human immunodeficiency virus positive patients. On the other hand, AIDS should be considered in the differential diagnosis of patients with unexplained reactivation of Chagas' disease.