Gastrointestinal parasitic infection, anthropometrics, nutritional status, and physical work capacity in Colombian boys

Abstract

This article tests the hypothesis that the presence of gastrointestinal parasites in Colombian boys is negatively associated with anthropometric characteristics, physical work capacity, blood hemoglobin (Hb) levels, and nutritional status. Anthropometric, Hb, V . O 2 max, and parasite load data were collected on 1,016 boys in Cali, Colombia. The boys were classified as lower socioeconomic class (SEC) from either urban or rural environments, and upper SEC from an urban environment. Sixty-three percent of the boys were infected with gastrointestinal parasites and, of the infected boys, 80-95% had light parasite loads. Parasites found included Necator americanus, Ascaris lumbricoides, Entamoeba histolytica, Trichuris trichiura, Giardia spp., and Enterobius vermicularis. Infected boys had significantly lower weight, stature, weight-for-height (among 6-9-year-old boys), Hb levels, and V . O 2 max (ANCOVA, controlling for age and SEC). In terms of nutritional status, infected boys were 1.47 times more likely to be classified as iron deficient than noninfected boys (chi-square, P < 0.001), and 1.61 times more likely to be classified as stunted (P < 0.001). Infection was not associated with wasting in any SEC group. In conclusion, light to moderate gastrointestinal parasite loads were associated with significantly lower weight, stature, weight-for-height (in 6-9-year-old boys), Hb levels, and V . O 2 max, and a significantly higher frequency of IDA and stunting. These data suggest that comprehensive analyses of the nutritional status of populations in regions endemic for parasitic infection should include testing for the presence of infection. Am.

Health and disease: Exploring the relation between parasitic infections, child nutrition status, and markets

“…The nutritional consequences of parasitic infection have also been documented in diverse contemporary populations. For example, in Columbia (Wilson et al, 1999) found that parasitic infection was associated with stunting and reduced work capacity among youth. Similarly, in the Amazon region of Peru helminth infections were associated with stunting among both children under 2 years of age (Gyorkos et al, 2011) and school-age children (Casapia et al, 2006) in a poor community.…”

Parasitosis intestinales en poblaciones Mbyá-Guaraní de la Provincia de Misiones, Argentina: aspectos epidemiológicos y nutricionales

“…La malnutrición proteica en poblaciones transicionales, como las aquí estudiadas, ha sido asociada a altas cargas parasitarias 4 y la relación entre infecciones por geohelmintos, malnutrición y anemia ha sido demostrada por diversos autores 6,7,8,32,33 . El elevado grado de parasitismo intestinal, junto a la presencia constante de otras enfermedades infecciosas como las respiratorias agudas, diarreas, etc., podrían contribuir al surgimiento de cuadros de anemia y/o malnutrición proteica en estas poblaciones.…”

“…Esta situación, unida al sedentarismo y la deficiente atención de la salud, favoreció la transmisión de infecciones parasitarias en esas poblaciones 3,4 . Por otra parte, también las infecciones parasitarias causan o agra- van la malnutrición y provocan un retraso en el crecimiento de los individuos infectados 5,6,7,8 .…”

“…El desarrollo de estudios que determinen la distribución relativa de las cargas parasitarias en las diferentes comunidades Mbyá de Misiones podría ayudar a identificar individuos carriers, que debieran ser monitoreados y tratados periódicamente con el objeto de reducir el nivel de contaminación entre estas comunidades. Más aún, teniendo en cuenta que el impacto combinado de varias especies de parásitos intestinales es mayor que aquel producido por parásitos individuales 8 . La elevada frecuencia de poliparasitados observada, hace preocupante la situación de estas comunidades por el riesgo de cuadros graves, de procesos obstructivos y de formas invasivas, con sus consecuencias patológicas para la población afectada.…”

Giardia intestinalis and nutritional status in children participating in the complementary nutrition program, Antioquia, Colombia, May to October 2006

“…Malabsorption of fat, D-xylose, vitamin A and vitamin B12 have been reported associated with this infection 3,12,34,47 . Chronic giardiasis in children is generally associated with clinical manifestations of failure to thrive 1,9,48,53 . The association of giardiasis with proteinenergy malnutrition (PEM) and micronutrient deficiency, and more recently with iron deficiency anemia (IDA), has been reported by some researchers 1,6,9,26,29,40,42,48 .…”