Cardiology: Chagas cardiomyopathy: practice question

A General Medicine question in the style of the NEET PG paper. Answer it first, then read why the right option is right and why each of the others is wrong.

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General Medicine · Cardiology: Chagas cardiomyopathy

Sample item

A man who grew up in a mud-walled house in rural Brazil has heart failure. ECG shows right bundle branch block with left anterior fascicular block, echocardiography shows an apical left ventricular aneurysm, and he also has dysphagia with a dilated oesophagus. Which organism is responsible?

Original practice item, not a recalled exam question. Nothing here is recorded.

The answer and the reasoning

B. Trypanosoma cruzi

Chronic Chagas disease follows infection with Trypanosoma cruzi transmitted by reduviid bugs. It causes a dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defects, apical aneurysm and arrhythmias, and destroys enteric neurons to cause megaoesophagus and megacolon.

Option by option

  • A. Leishmania donovani

    Leishmania donovani causes visceral leishmaniasis with fever, splenomegaly and pancytopenia.

  • B. Trypanosoma cruzi (correct)

    Correct. T. cruzi causes the cardiac and gastrointestinal features of chronic Chagas disease.

  • C. Toxoplasma gondii

    Toxoplasma gondii causes cerebral and ocular disease in immunocompromised hosts and does not cause megaoesophagus.

  • D. Trypanosoma brucei

    T. brucei causes African sleeping sickness, with meningoencephalitis.

Source note: Original NextPrep sample item — pending expert review. This item is original practice material awaiting independent expert review, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.

More General Medicine questions

Questions about this General Medicine question

What is the answer to this General Medicine question?

The best answer is B, Trypanosoma cruzi. Chronic Chagas disease follows infection with Trypanosoma cruzi transmitted by reduviid bugs.

Why is "Leishmania donovani" not the answer?

Leishmania donovani causes visceral leishmaniasis with fever, splenomegaly and pancytopenia.

Why is "Toxoplasma gondii" not the answer?

Toxoplasma gondii causes cerebral and ocular disease in immunocompromised hosts and does not cause megaoesophagus.

Why is "Trypanosoma brucei" not the answer?

T. brucei causes African sleeping sickness, with meningoencephalitis.

What concept does this question test?

It tests Cardiology: Chagas cardiomyopathy in General Medicine. It causes a dilated cardiomyopathy with conduction defects, apical aneurysm and arrhythmias, and destroys enteric neurons to cause megaoesophagus and megacolon.

How hard is this question?

We tag it as an application question: it asks you to use a fact on a patient or a finding. The tag is our own editorial judgement, not an official difficulty rating, so read the reason for every option, not only the answer.

How should I study Cardiology: Chagas cardiomyopathy?

For each disease know the classic presentation, the best test, and the first-line treatment. Then use the flashcards and the other General Medicine questions on this site to test what stuck.

Is this a real NEET PG question?

No. It is an original practice item (editorial status: sample, version 1). NextPrep does not publish recalled or leaked questions, and independent faculty review of this item has not been completed yet, so confirm important facts in a standard textbook.