Effect of intestinal helminthiasis on intestinal permeability of early primary schoolchildren

• Published in: Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene 1996-11, Vol.90 (6), p.666-669
• Main Authors: Raj, S.Mahendra, Sein, K.T., Anuar, A.Khairul, Mustaffa, B.E.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Albendazole - therapeutic use; Animals; Anthelmintics - therapeutic use; ascariasis; Ascariasis - drug therapy; Ascariasis - metabolism; Ascaris lumbricoides; Biological and medical sciences; Child; Female; Helminthiasis - drug therapy; Helminthiasis - metabolism; Helminthic diseases; hookworm; Hookworm Infections - drug therapy; Hookworm Infections - metabolism; Humans; Infectious diseases; Intestinal Mucosa - metabolism; intestinal permeability; Lactulose - metabolism; Malaysia; Male; Mannitol - metabolism; Medical sciences; Miscellaneous; Parasitic diseases; Permeability; Socioeconomic Factors; trichuriasis; Trichuriasis - drug therapy; Trichuriasis - metabolism; Trichuris trichiura; Tropical medicine
• ISSN: 0035-9203; 1878-3503
• DOI: 10.1016/S0035-9203(96)90425-3

Intestinal permeability of 246 early primary schoolchildren at 2 schools (106 of whom were infected with intestinal helminths) was assessed by using the lactulose/mannitol differential absorption test. The ratio of the urinary recoveries of lactulose and mannitol was determined after oral administration of a standard solution of the 2 sugars. Assessment of intestinal permeability was repeated on 100 infected children after treatment and on a cohort of 68 uninfected children. Infected and uninfected groups were compared with respect to baseline lactulose/mannitol ratio ( L M1 ) and change in lactulose/mannitol ratio between assessments ( ΔL M ). The correlations between baseline intensity of infection and L M1 , and between fall in intensity and ΔL M , were evaluated. Based on a crude index of socioeconomic status, each child was assigned to one of 3 socioeconomic groups; all but 3 children belonged to either groups 2 or 3. Trichuris trichiura and Ascaris lumbricoides were the 2 predominant infections; the hookworm infection rate was relatively low. The results suggested that helminthiasis exerted only a marginal effect on intestinal permeability, the impact of which in children from lower socioeconomic backgrounds was negligible in comparison with the cumulative effects of other factors.