From January to April 1982 a cross sectional study of the morbidity of human Chagas'disease was carried out in the urban area of the municipality of Virgem da Lapa, in Northeast Minas Gerais State, in the Valley of Jequitinhonha. The prevalence of the chagasic infection evaluated by the indirect immunofluorescent test in blood collected on filter paper was 12.6% in 2.787samples. The infection rate was higher in women than in men (p < 0.001) and the general prevalence of the infection increased progressively up to the fifth decade after which it stabilised. The clinical, electrocardiographical and radiological examinations in 255 chronic chagasics paired by age and sex with the same number of non- chagasic persons from the same area, showed the following clinical forms in chagasics: 118 (46.3%) with the indeterminate form, 109 (42.7%) with the cardiac form, 19 (7.5%) mixed form (cardiac and megaesophagus), and 9(3.5%) with megaesophagus. Xenodiagnoses were positive in 36.7% of the cases, with a predominance in males with the indeterminate clinical form.
Chagas' disease; Morbidity; Cross-sectional study; Cardiopathy; Megaesophagus