Hostname: page-component-745bb68f8f-lrblm Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2025-01-08T07:53:48.787Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Schistosoma mansoni infection as a predictor of severe anaemia in schoolchildren in eastern Sudan

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  28 August 2009

H.M. Mahgoub ,
A.A. Mohamed ,
M. Magzoub ,
G.I. Gasim ,
W.N. Eldein ,
A.A. Ahmed  and
I. Adam
H.M. Mahgoub
Affiliation:
New Halfa Teaching Hospital, B.P.O. Box 61, New Halfa, Sudan
A.A. Mohamed
Affiliation:
New Halfa Teaching Hospital, B.P.O. Box 61, New Halfa, Sudan
M. Magzoub
Affiliation:
Kassala University, Kassala, Sudan
G.I. Gasim
Affiliation:
Elnelain University, Khartoum, Sudan
W.N. Eldein
Affiliation:
New Halfa Teaching Hospital, B.P.O. Box 61, New Halfa, Sudan
A.A. Ahmed
Affiliation:
University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
I. Adam*
Affiliation:
University of Khartoum, Khartoum, Sudan
*
*Fax: +249183771211 E-mail: [email protected]
Get access Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

A cross-sectional study was carried out to investigate the prevalence and risk factors for severe anaemia among schoolchildren in New Halfa, eastern Sudan. After taking age and gender, haemoglobin (Hb) levels were measured and all children were screened for malaria and intestinal parasitic infections, including schistosomiasis. Six hundred and forty (230 boys, 410 girls) schoolchildren aged 8–18 years were enrolled. The mean (SD) of the haemoglobin was 9.6 (1.7) mg/dl. One hundred and eleven (17.3%) and 33 (5.2%) children had Schistosoma mansoni infection and Hymenolepis nana infection, respectively. Five hundred and eighty (90.6%) of these children had anaemia (Hb < 12 g/dl), and 103 (16.0%) of them had severe anaemia (Hb < 8 g/dl). Girls (OR = 2.5, 95% CI = 1.1–5.3; P = 0.01) were at higher risk for severe anaemia in univariate and multivariate analyses. Schistosoma mansoni infections were associated with severe anaemia in univariate analyses only. Thus, there was a high prevalence of severe anaemia among these children. This needs to be investigated in more depth in the future, and more attention should be paid to the health of adolescent girls.

Type
Research Papers
Information
Journal of Helminthology , Volume 84 , Issue 2 , June 2010 , pp. 132 - 135
Copyright
Copyright © Cambridge University Press 2009

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

Adam, I., Mirghani, O.A., Saed, O.K., Ahmed, S.M., Mohamadani, A.A., Ahmed, H.M., Mackenzie, C.D., Homeida, M.M. & Elbashir, M.I. (2004) Quinine therapy in severe Plasmodium falciparum malaria during pregnancy in Sudan. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 10, 159–166.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Adam, I., Khamis, A.H. & Elbashir, M.I. (2005) Prevalence and risk factors for anaemia in pregnant women of eastern Sudan. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 99, 739–743.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Brooker, S., Peshu, N., Warn, P.A., Mosobo, M., Guyatt, H.L., Marsh, K. & Snow, R.W. (1999) The epidemiology of hookworm infection and its contribution to anaemia among pre-school children on the Kenyan coast. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 93, 240–246.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Bruner, A.B., Joffe, A., Duggan, A.K., Casella, J.F. & Brandt, J. (1996) Randomized study of cognitive effects of iron supplementation in non-anaemic iron-deficiency. Lancet 348, 992–996.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Bundy, D.A.P. & Guyatt, H.L. (1996) Schools for health: focus on health, education, and the school-age child. Parasitology Today 12, 1–16.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Cheesbrough, M. (1998) District laboratory practice in tropical countries, Part 1. pp. 197–199. Cambridge, Tropical Health Technology/Cambridge University Press.Google Scholar
Foo, L.H., Khor, G.L. & Tee, E.S. (2004) Iron status and dietary iron intake of adolescents from a rural community in Sabah, Malaysia. Asian and Pacific Journal of Clinical Nutrition 13, 48–55.Google ScholarPubMed
Friedman, J.F., Kanzaria, H.K. & Mcgarvey, S.T. (2005) Human schistosomiasis and anaemia: the relationship and potential mechanisms. Trends in Parasitology 21, 386–392.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Geerligs, P.D., Brabin, B.J. & Eggelte, T.A. (2003) Analysis of the effects of malaria chemoprophylaxis in children on haematological responses, morbidity and mortality. Bulletin of World Health Organization 81, 205–216.Google ScholarPubMed
Geissler, P.W., Mwaniki, D.L., Thiong'o, F., Michaelsen, K.F. & Friis, H. (1998) Geophagy, iron status and anaemia among primary school children in Western Kenya. Tropical Medicine and International Health 3, 529–534.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Himeidan, Y.E., Elbashir, M.I., Elrayah, E. & Adam, I. (2005) Epidemiology of malaria in an irrigated area in the eastern Sudan. Eastern Mediterranean Health Journal 11, 499–504.Google Scholar
Jinabhai, C.C., Taylor, M., Coutsoudis, A., Coovadia, H.M., Tomkins, A.M. & Sullivan, K.R. (2001) A health and nutritional profile of rural school children in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Annals of Tropical Pediatrics 21, 50–58.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Korenromp, E.L., Armstrong-Schellenberg, J.R., Williams, B.G., Nahlen, B.L. & Snow, R.W. (2004) Impact of malaria control on childhood anaemia in Africa – a quantitative review. Tropical Medicine and International Health 9, 1050–1065.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Koukounari, A., Estambale, B.B., Njagi, J.K., Cundill, B., Ajanga, A., Crudder, C., Otido, J., Jukes, M.C., Clarke, S.E. & Brooker, S. (2008) Relationships between anaemia and parasitic infections in Kenyan schoolchildren: a Bayesian hierarchical modelling approach. International Journal of Parasitology 38, 1663–1671.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Mai, T.T., Hung, N.K., Kawakami, M., Kawase, M. & Chuyen, N.V. (2003) Micronutrient status of primary school girls in rural and urban areas of South Vietnam. Asian Pacific of Journal Clinical Nutrition 12, 178–185.Google Scholar
Olsen, A., Magnussen, P., Ouma, J.H., Andreassen, J. & Friis, H. (1998) The contribution of hookworm and other parasitic infections to haemoglobin and iron status among children and adults in western Kenya. Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 92, 643–649.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Saloojee, H. & Pettifor, J.M. (2001) Iron deficiency and impaired child development. British Medical Journal 323, 1377–1378.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Stoltzfus, R.J., Chwaya, H.M., Tielsch, J.M., Schulze, K.M., Albonico, M. & Savioli, L. (1997) Epidemiology of iron deficiency anaemia in Zanzibari school children: the importance of hookworms. American Journal Clinical Nutrition 65, 153–159.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Teesdale, C.H. & Amin, M.A. (1976) A simple thick smear technique for diagnosis of S. mansoni. Bulletin of the World Health Organization 54, 703–705.Google Scholar
WHO (2001) Iron deficiency anaemia: assessment, prevention, and control. Geneva, World Health Organization.Google Scholar