Jessica McDonald works in the Emergency Medicine Department at Dekalb Medical Center, Atlanta. Jill Mattingly is Academic Coordinator and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Physician Assistant Program at Mercer University, Atlanta. The authors have no financial relationships to disclose.
Although accreditation for this CE/CME activity has expired, and the posttest is no longer available, you can still read the full article.
Expires October 31, 2017
Chagas disease, a parasitic infection, is increasingly being detected in the United States, most likely due to immigration from endemic countries in South and Central America. Approximately 300,000 persons in the US have chronic Chagas disease, and up to 30% of them will develop clinically evident cardiovascular and/or gastrointestinal disease. Here’s practical guidance to help you recognize the features of symptomatic Chagas disease and follow up with appropriate evaluation and management.
PROGRAM OVERVIEW Earn credit by reading this article and successfully completing the posttest and evaluation. Successful completion is defined as a cumulative score of at least 70% correct.
EDUCATIONAL OBJECTIVES • Understand the prevalence and risks of Chagas disease in the United States. • Explain the pathophysiology of Chagas disease, including the vector and transmission routes of the disease. • Describe the clinical presentation of both the acute and chronic forms of the disease and learn when to suspect an infection. • Outline a plan for diagnosis and treatment of Chagas disease. • Educate women with Chagas disease about the risk of transmission for future offspring.
FACULTY
Jessica McDonald works in the Emergency Medicine Department at Dekalb Medical Center, Atlanta. Jill Mattingly is Academic Coordinator and Clinical Assistant Professor in the Physician Assistant Program at Mercer University, Atlanta. The authors have no financial relationships to disclose.
ACCREDITATION STATEMENT
This program has been reviewed and is approved for a maximum of 1.0 hour of American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) Category 1 CME credit by the Physician Assistant Review Panel. [NPs: Both ANCC and the AANP Certification Program recognize AAPA as an approved provider of Category 1 credit.] Approval is valid for one year from the issue date of November 2016.
