Case 4/2009--a 55-year-old male patient with Chagas cardiomyopathy who developed progressive worsening of dyspnea, chest pain and pulmonary interstitial infiltrate.

Three years earlier, he had started to develop progressive worsening of dyspnea, which was initially triggered by severe exertion. One year earlier, dyspnea started to be triggered by moderate exertion and was associated with tachycardic palpitations. The patient sought medical care in a primary health care unit where he was prescribed medications, the names of which he could not recall. He improved after the use of these medications. He had been previously diagnosed with Chagas disease.