Introduction
Leptospirosis is a neglected disease in Vietnam. Until now, there has been limited knowledge about risk factors of this disease in Vietnam. The study was carried out to identify agricultural and behavioral factors associated with the transmission of leptospirosis in Vietnam.
Methods
This matched retrospective hospital-community-based case–control study was conducted from 1 October 2018 to 31 October 2019. We recruited cases from 11 selected government hospitals in three provinces of Vietnam, while controls were selected from the same communes of cases and matched by age (± 2 years) and sex. Microscopic agglutination test (MAT) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) were applied to determine confirmed cases, while only MAT was used to identify controls with a single high MAT titer < 1:100.
Results
504 participants (252 cases and 252 controls) were identified. Cultivating (OR 2.83, CI 1.38–5.79), animal farming (OR 8.26, CI 2.24–30.52), pig owners (OR 10.48, CI 5.05–21.73), cat owners (OR 2.62, CI 1.49–4.61) and drinking unboiled water (OR 1.72, CI 1.14 –2.59, p = 0.010) were significantly associated with human leptospirosis in Vietnam. Hand washing after farming/ gardening (OR 0.57, CI 0.38–0.86, p = 0.007) and bathing after farming, gardening, contact with cattle and poultry (OR 0.33, CI 0.19–0.58, p = 0.000) were determined as protective factors for this disease.
Conclusions
In short, the case–control study has revealed the risks in agricultural and animal practices and protective behavioral factors related to human leptospirosis in Vietnam. The findings suggested promotion of communication and health education programs targeting health behaviors in daily life and agricultural practices. Using personal protective equipment such as gowns, gloves, and boots during agricultural practices, especially cultivating and animal farming, is most recommended.
Background: Immune thrombocytopenia (ITP) is a benign childhood disease. The aim of this study was to assess Health Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) among chronic ITP children in Vietnam. Methods: A case -control study was conducted from January 2020 to April 2021. Case group consisted of 56 children with chronic ITP aged from 2 to 18 years and their parents selected in the Department of Nephrology-Hematology -Endocrinology, Haiphong Children's Hospital, Hai Phong city. Controls included 170 healthy children matched with the patients on sex, and age recruited from schools in the same city. The validated Vietnamese version of the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) 4.0 Generic Core Scale was used to assess QoL of the participants. Results: The mean HRQoL physical, emotional, social, school functioning domains and total scores of the chronic ITP patients were significantly lower compared with that of the controls (p < 0.001 for all). Children in the age group 13-18 had the lowest overall HRQoL score compared other age groups (60.87 ± 7.66, p = 0.023), especially in the emotional and social functioning domains (58.33 ± 6.83; 64.17 ± 11.58, respectively) (p < 0.001). Chronic ITP patients with older age, longer treatment duration, and ongoing treatment status showed to be having lower HRQoL scores than the younger one, shorter treatment duration, and the stopped treatment group. Conclusion: Chronic ITP has a negative impact on HRQoL in terms of physical functioning, emotional, social, school functioning, and overall scores when compared with the healthy sex, age-matched children.
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