This biological framework, which is also involved in progression of cardiomyopathy in humans, is more pronounced in HIV-infected patients, in whom proinflammatory cytokines TNF-alpha, IL-1 and IL-6 are increased, resulting in an enhanced expression of cardiac iNOS, especially in patients with a low CD4 T cell count.
Therefore this study suggests that IL1 gene cluster polymorphisms may play a relevant role in the susceptibility to development of chagasic chronic cardiomyopathy.