Sponsors
Show: September 30, 2012:
- Why are baby boomers being urged to be tested for hepatitis C?
- Is birth control for men on the horizon?
- Why is the incidence of Chagas disease growing in the U.S?
- How is the Middle Ages plague treated today?
- What problems can men taking balding medications face?
- How can setting goals aid terminally ill patients?
- View all topics for the week
Sound Medicine is brought to you by:
Why is the incidence of Chagas disease growing in the U.S?
Host: Barbara Lewis
Interview: Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., Dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University.
At least 300,000 people in the U.S. have Chagas disease, an ailment historically found in Latin America. Chagas is caused by a parasite that circulates in the blood and attacks the heart, colon and esophagus. It is the leading cause of heart failure in Latin America and is known to remain undetected for decades with a lack of noticeable symptoms. Peter Hotez, M.D., Ph.D., founding dean of the National School of Tropical Medicine at Baylor University, discusses the growing prevalence of Chagas disease in the U.S. and how his group in Texas is working to figure out its transmission, prevalence and better treatments.
Additional Resources:
- Learn more about Chagas’ disease here.
