Histoplasmosis: Epidemiology in Latin America

Histoplasmosis is a frequent health problem in Latin American countries, but the fact that it is not a reportable disease prevents reliable estimates of its real incidence and impact on public health. Epidemiologic and clinical data remain patchy in general, and in some countries the information ava...

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Autores:
Tipo de recurso:
Fecha de publicación:
2011
Institución:
Universidad del Rosario
Repositorio:
Repositorio EdocUR - U. Rosario
Idioma:
eng
OAI Identifier:
oai:repository.urosario.edu.co:10336/23804
Acceso en línea:
https://doi.org/10.1007/s12281-011-0073-7
https://repository.urosario.edu.co/handle/10336/23804
Palabra clave:
Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome
AIDS
Central America
Clinical presentation
Endemic mycoses
Epidemiology
Histoplasma capsulatum
Histoplasmosis
HIV
Latin America
South America
Surveillance
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Abierto (Texto Completo)
Description
Summary:Histoplasmosis is a frequent health problem in Latin American countries, but the fact that it is not a reportable disease prevents reliable estimates of its real incidence and impact on public health. Epidemiologic and clinical data remain patchy in general, and in some countries the information available is very limited. Histoplasmosis has a significant public health impact in susceptible populations such as immunosuppressed individuals, in whom the disease is associated with poor outcomes. Limited availability of diagnostic tools in many regions of Latin America is an additional problem, as many patients are already severely ill by the time of the diagnosis. Efforts are therefore necessary to ensure early diagnosis and appropriate treatment, limit the severity of the disease manifestations, and reduce morbidity and mortality. This paper reviews important aspects of the epidemiology of histoplasmosis, the most clinically significant endemic mycosis in Latin America. © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 2011.