Trypanosomiases are diseases caused by various species of protozoan parasite in the genus Trypanosoma, each presenting with distinct clinical manifestations and prognoses. Infections can affect multiple organs, with Trypanosoma cruzi predominantly affecting the heart and digestive system, leading to American trypanosomiasis or Chagas disease, and Trypanosoma brucei primarily causing a disease of the central nervous system known as human African trypanosomiasis or sleeping sickness. In this Review, we discuss the effects of these infections on the heart, with particular emphasis on Chagas disease, which continues to be a leading cause of cardiomyopathy in Latin America. The epidemiology of Chagas disease has changed substantially since 1990 owing to the emigration of over 30 million Latin American citizens, primarily to Europe and the USA. This movement of people has led to the global dissemination of individuals infected with T. cruzi. Therefore, cardiologists worldwide must familiarize themselves with Chagas disease and the severe, chronic manifestation — Chagas cardiomyopathy — because of the expanded prevalence of this disease beyond traditional endemic regions.

锥虫病是由锥虫属中各种原生动物寄生虫引起的疾病，每种寄生虫都有不同的临床表现和预后。感染可影响多个器官，其中克氏锥虫主要影响心脏和消化系统，导致美洲锥虫病或美洲锥虫病，而布鲁氏雷虫主要引起中枢神经系统疾病，称为人类非洲锥虫病或昏睡病。在本综述中，我们讨论了这些感染对心脏的影响，特别强调了美洲锥虫病，该病仍然是拉丁美洲心肌病的主要原因。自 1990 年以来，由于 3000 多万拉丁美洲公民移民，主要移民到欧洲和美国，美洲锥虫病的流行病学发生了重大变化。这种人员流动导致了感染克氏锥虫的个体的全球传播。因此，全世界的心脏病专家必须熟悉美洲锥虫病和严重的慢性表现 — 恰加斯心肌病 — 因为这种疾病的患病率已扩大到传统流行地区之外。