Podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminths (STHs): double burden of neglected tropical diseases in Wolaita zone, rural Southern Ethiopia

Both podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections occur among barefoot people in areas of extreme poverty; however, their co-morbidity has not previously been investigated. We explored the overlap of STH infection and podoconiosis in Southern Ethiopia and quantified their separate and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:PLoS neglected tropical diseases 2013-03, Vol.7 (3), p.e2128-e2128
Main Authors: Taye, Bineyam, Alemayehu, Bereket, Birhanu, Asaye, Desta, Kassu, Addisu, Sisay, Petros, Beyene, Davey, Gail, Tsegaye, Aster
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Adolescent
Adult
Aged
Aged, 80 and over
Animals
Comorbidity
Cross-Sectional Studies
Disease prevention
Elephantiasis - epidemiology
Ethiopia - epidemiology
Feces - parasitology
Female
Hemoglobin
Hemoglobins - analysis
Hookworm disease
Hookworm Infections - epidemiology
Humans
Infection control
Infections
Lymphatic diseases
Male
Measurement
Medicine
Methods
Middle Aged
Neglected Diseases - epidemiology
Poverty
Prevalence
Prevention
Risk factors
Rural Population
Studies
Surveys and Questionnaires
Trichuriasis - epidemiology
Tropical diseases
Young Adult
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Summary:Both podoconiosis and soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections occur among barefoot people in areas of extreme poverty; however, their co-morbidity has not previously been investigated. We explored the overlap of STH infection and podoconiosis in Southern Ethiopia and quantified their separate and combined effects on prevalent anemia and hemoglobin levels in podoconiosis patients and health controls from the same area. A two-part comparative cross-sectional study was conducted in Wolaita zone, southern Ethiopia. Data were collected from adult patients presenting with clinically confirmed podoconiosis, and unmatched adult neighborhood controls living in the same administrative area. Information on demographic and selected lifestyle factors was collected using interviewer-administered questionnaires. Stool samples were collected and examined qualitatively using the modified formalin-ether sedimentation method. Hemoglobin level was determined using two different methods: hemoglobinometer and automated hematology analyzer. A total of 913 study subjects (677 podoconiosis patients and 236 controls) participated. The prevalence of any STH infection was 47.6% among patients and 33.1% among controls (p
ISSN:1935-2735
1935-2727
1935-2735
DOI:10.1371/journal.pntd.0002128