Frecuencia y conocimiento de tripanosomiasis americana en habitantes de la municipalidad de Vinto, Cochabamba, Bolivia: Frequency and knowledge of american trypanosomiasis in the population of the municipality of Vinto, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Frequency and knowledge of american trypanosomiasis in the population of the municipality of Vinto, Cochabamba, Bolivia

Resumen

Introduction: American trypanosomiasis is caused by the blood parasite Trypanosoma cruzi, it affects 21 countries in the America, especially rural populations. Objectives: To determine the frequency and knowledge of American trypanosomiasis, as well as to disaggregate the frequency of American trypanosomiasis reemplazar por by sex and age group in the inhabitants of the municipality of Vinto, Cochabamba - Bolivia. Materials and Methods: A descriptive study with a non-experimental cross-sectional design was carried out. A total of 207 inhabitants of the municipality of Vinto attended the clinical analysis laboratory of the Biochemistry Department of the Adventist University of Bolivia. The sera were processed by indirect hemagglutination (HAI). Knowledge about American trypanosomiasis was determined by means of a structured survey. Pearson’s chi-square was used to relate variables and was considered significant at p<0.05. Results: The frequency of American trypanosomiasis in inhabitants of the municipality of Vinto was 11.6%. There was no relationship between the frequency of American trypanosomiasis and sex (p>0.05) but there was a relationship with the age group (p<0.05). 72.9% claimed to know about American trypanosomiasis. Conclusions: The results show that the frequency of American trypanosomiasis is low and that most of the inhabitants of the municipality of Vinto, Cochabamba, Bolivia have knowledge about the disease. In addition, it was found that there is only a relationship betweenthe frequency of American trypanosomiasis and age group.