Prevalence of cardiac arrhythmias during and after pregnancy in women with Chagas' disease without apparent heart disease

To evaluate cardiac arrhythmias during and after pregnancy in women with Chagas' disease without apparent heart disease using dynamic electrocardiography. Twenty pregnant women with Chagas' disease without apparent heart disease aged 19 to 42 years (26.96 +/- 3.6) and a control group of 20 non-chagasic pregnant patients aged 16 to 34 years (22.5 +/- 4.8). The patients were submitted to passive hemagglutination and indirect immunofluorescence for the detection of Trypanosoma cruzi evaluation, and electrocardiography, echocardiography and 24-h dynamic electrocardiography. Supraventricular premature depolarizations were observed in 18 (90%) patients and ventricular premature depolarization in 11 (55%) patients of both groups during pregnancy. After delivery, supraventricular premature depolarizations were present in 13 (60%) chagasic patients and in 16 (89.4%) control patients (P