Involvement of the peripheral sensory nervous system in human chronic Chagas disease
Sica, R.E.; Filipini, D.; Panizza, M.; Fumo, T.; Baso, S.; Lazzari, J.; Molina, H.A.
Medicina 46(6): 662-668
1986
ISSN/ISBN: 0025-7680 PMID: 3114590 Document Number: 276012
Sensory action potentials (SAP) were recorded from 23 patients with chronic Chagas' disease and 20 healthy controls, using surface and needle electrodes. A minority of patients showed significantly lower conduction velocities in the distal segment of the median nerve, lower SAP amplitudes in the median nerve and fewer waves in the compound action potentials from the median and sural nerves than in controls, but 21 of the 23 patients showed at least one abnormal response. Histological preparations of sensory nerve from 4 patients showed signs of degeneration of the largest and smallest axons and abnormally thin myelin sheaths, but no parasites nor signs of inflammation.