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This article discusses the burden of asthma in Argentina and the strategies for managing the disease. Epidemiological studies have shown that over 10% of the population in Argentina, approximately 4.5 million people, have varying degrees of bronchial asthma. While mortality rates due to asthma have been decreasing since the 2000s, there is still a need to reduce morbidity and mortality rates further. The article highlights the discrepancies in international guidelines for asthma management and the need for a precise definition of mild asthma. The National Ministry of Health has published a guide for the management of mild asthma, but there are still challenges in providing access to medication and specialized care, particularly for those without health insurance coverage. The prevalence of severe asthma in Argentina is estimated to affect more than 160,000 people, and there are controversies in its management based on local recommendations. The article also mentions the lack of coverage for certain biological drugs for severe eosinophilic asthma and the need for the approval of the National Asthma Law to improve access to medication and healthcare providers. The role of various associations in advocating for asthma as a public health problem is emphasized. [Extracted from the article]

Background: The Trypanosoma cruzi satellite DNA (satDNA) OligoC-TesT is a standardised PCR format for diagnosis of Chagas disease. The sensitivity of the test is lower for discrete typing unit (DTU) TcI than for TcII-VI and the test has not been evaluated in chronic Chagas disease patients. Methodology/Principal Findings: We developed a new prototype of the OligoC-TesT based on kinetoplast DNA (kDNA) detection. We evaluated the satDNA and kDNA OligoC-TesTs in a multi-cohort study with 187 chronic Chagas patients and 88 healthy endemic controls recruited in Argentina, Chile and Spain and 26 diseased non-endemic controls from D.R. Congo and Sudan. All specimens were tested in duplicate. The overall specificity in the controls was 99.1% (95% CI 95.2%–99.8%) for the satDNA OligoC-TesT and 97.4% (95% CI 92.6%–99.1%) for the kDNA OligoC-TesT. The overall sensitivity in the patients was 67.9% (95% CI 60.9%–74.2%) for the satDNA OligoC-TesT and 79.1% (95% CI 72.8%–84.4%) for the kDNA OligoC-Test. Conclusions/Significance: Specificities of the two T. cruzi OligoC-TesT prototypes are high on non-endemic and endemic controls. Sensitivities are moderate but significantly (p = 0.0004) higher for the kDNA OligoC-TesT compared to the satDNA OligoC-TesT. Author Summary: Accurate diagnosis of Chagas disease is challenging due to the latent character of the infection and the low parasite load in the blood. Molecular tests such as the polymerase chain reaction (PCR) detect the parasite's DNA and are generally very sensitive and specific. In this study we evaluated two prototypes of a standardized PCR diagnostic kit: the satellite DNA (satDNA) OligoC-TesT and the kinetoplast (kDNA) OligoC-TesT. Sensitivities and specificities of both tests were estimated in a multi-cohort phase II evaluation study with 187 chronic Chagas patients and 88 healthy endemic controls from Argentina, Chile and Spain, and 26 non-endemic controls from D.R. Congo and Sudan with potentially cross-reacting diseases. Specificities in the control persons were high (>97%) and the sensitivity of the kDNA OligoC-TesT (79.1%) was significantly higher than of the satDNA OligoC-Test (67.9%). In a next phase, the kDNA OligoC-TesT should be evaluated in specific niches where standard serological tools have their limitations, e.g. follow-up after treatment and diagnosing newborns and HIV co-infected patients. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]