Romaña's sign, also known as a chagoma, is a medical term for the unilateral painless periorbital swelling associated with the acute stage of Chagas' disease.

Presentation

It occurs 1-2 weeks after infection. It is due to conjunctival swelling after contamination with the vector's feces

Feces

Feces, faeces, or fæces is a waste product from an animal's digestive tract expelled through the anus or cloaca during defecation.-Etymology:...

, which contains the parasitic Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma cruzi

Trypanosoma cruzi is a species of parasitic euglenoid trypanosomes. This species causes the trypanosomiasis diseases in humans and animals in America...

. Although very characteristic of Chagas' disease, not all patients with the acute form develop Romaña's sign.

When one has Romaña's sign, one will have subcutaneous inflammatory nodule or nonpurulent unilateral palpebral edema

Edema

Edema or oedema ; both words from the Greek , oídēma "swelling"), formerly known as dropsy or hydropsy, is an abnormal accumulation of fluid beneath the skin or in one or more cavities of the body that produces swelling...

 and conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis

Conjunctivitis refers to inflammation of the conjunctiva...

 with ipsilateral regional lymphadenopathy

Lymphadenopathy

Lymphadenopathy is a term meaning "disease of the lymph nodes." It is, however, almost synonymously used with "swollen/enlarged lymph nodes". It could be due to infection, auto-immune disease, or malignancy....

.

Eponym

It is named after Cecilio Romaña

Cecilio Romaña

Cecilio Felix Romaña was an Argentinian physician remembered for describing Romaña's sign. He researched tropical diseases from 1930 to 1960 in Northern Argentina, particularly Chagas disease. His description of his eponymous sign in 1935 allowed for earlier and easier diagnosis of this disease in...

, an Argentinian researcher who first described the phenomenon.