Quantitative Egg Excretion and Work Capacity in a Gezira Population Infected with Schistosoma Mansoni *

Karim, M. A. Awad El; Collins, Kenneth J.; Brotherhood, J. R.; Doré, Caroline J; Weiner, J. S.; Sukkar, M. Y.; Omer, Abdeen Mustafa; Ma, Amin

doi:10.4269/ajtmh.1980.29.54

Cited by 21 publications

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“…While one study could not find a relationship between presence or absence of S . mansoni and productivity in Sudanese can-cutters using a stationary bicycle ergometer [30], El Karim and co-workers [31] found a relationship between both intensity and duration of S . mansoni infection and work performance in the same study population using the same physiological tests.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection with Schistosoma mansoni has an Effect on Quality of Life, but not on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren in Mwanza Region, North-Western Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2016

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BackgroundInfection with Schistosoma mansoni negatively impact children’s physical health and may influence their general well-being. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of S. mansoni infections on a panel of morbidity indicators with emphasis on quality of life (PedsQL; measured in four different dimensions) and physical fitness (measured as VO2 max) among 572 schoolchildren aged 7–8 years.Methodology/Principal findingsPrevalence of S. mansoni infections was 58.7%, with an arithmetic mean (95% CI) among positives of 207.3 (169.2–245.4) eggs per gram (epg). Most infections were light (56.5%), while 16.4% had heavy infections. Girls had significantly higher arithmetic mean intensities (95% CI) than boys (247.4 (189.2–305.6) vs. 153.2 (110.6–195.8); P = 0.004). A total of 30.1% were anaemic with no sex difference. Stunting and wasting was found in less than 10% of the population. There was no association between S. mansoni prevalence or intensities and the following parameters: anthropometry, anaemia, liver or spleen pathology in neither univariable nor multivariable linear regression analyses. However, in univariable analyses children with S. mansoni infection had a significantly lower score in emotional PedsQL (95% CI) than uninfected (77.3 (74.5–80.1) vs. 82.7 (79.9–85.5); P = 0.033) and infected children had a higher VO2 max (95% CI) compared to uninfected (51.4 (51.0–51.8) vs. 50.8 (50.3–51.3); P = 0.042). In multivariable linear regression analyses, age, S. mansoni infection, haemoglobin and VO2 max were significant predictors for emotional PedsQL while significant predictors for VO2 max were physical PedsQL, height, age and haemoglobin. S. mansoni infection was thus not retained in the multivariable regression analyses on VO2 max.Conclusions/SignificanceOf the measured morbidity parameters, S. mansoni infection had a significant effect on the emotional dimension of quality of life, but not on physical fitness. If PedsQL should be a useful tool to measure schistosome related morbidity, more in depth studies are needed in order to refine the tool so it focuses more on aspects of quality of life that may be affected by schistosome infections.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Infection with Schistosoma mansoni has an Effect on Quality of Life, but not on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren in Mwanza Region, North-Western Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

et al. 2016

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“…In the early stage of a schistosome infection, general fatigue is a common symptom described in various age groups [18]. As helminth infections progress, the intensity and duration is thought to play an important role in influencing physical fitness [19]. Hence, the assessment of infection intensities should be regarded as an important component of evaluating the effect of helmintic diseases on people's general health and wellbeing.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Effect of Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections on Physical Fitness of School Children in Côte d'Ivoire

et al. 2011

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BackgroundSchistosomiasis and soil-transmitted helminthiasis are important public health problems in sub-Saharan Africa causing malnutrition, anemia, and retardation of physical and cognitive development. However, the effect of these diseases on physical fitness remains to be determined.MethodologyWe investigated the relationship between schistosomiasis, soil-transmitted helminthiasis and physical performance of children, controlling for potential confounding of Plasmodium spp. infections and environmental parameters (i.e., ambient air temperature and humidity). A cross-sectional survey was carried out among 156 school children aged 7–15 years from Côte d'Ivoire. Each child had two stool and two urine samples examined for helminth eggs by microscopy. Additionally, children underwent a clinical examination, were tested for Plasmodium spp. infection with a rapid diagnostic test, and performed a maximal multistage 20 m shuttle run test to assess their maximal oxygen uptake (VO2 max) as a proxy for physical fitness.Principal FindingsThe prevalence of Schistosoma haematobium, Plasmodium spp., Schistosoma mansoni, hookworm and Ascaris lumbricoides infections was 85.3%, 71.2%, 53.8%, 13.5% and 1.3%, respectively. Children with single, dual, triple, quadruple and quintuple species infections showed VO2 max of 52.7, 53.1, 52.2, 52.6 and 55.6 ml kg−1 min−1, respectively. The VO2 max of children with no parasite infections was 53.5 ml kg−1 min−1. No statistically significant difference was detected between any groups. Multivariable analysis revealed that VO2 max was influenced by sex (reference: female, coef. = 4.02, p<0.001) and age (years, coef. = −1.23, p<0.001), but not by helminth infection and intensity, Plasmodium spp. infection, and environmental parameters.Conclusion/SignificanceSchool-aged children in Côte d'Ivoire showed good physical fitness, irrespective of their helminth infection status. Future studies on children's physical fitness in settings where helminthiasis and malaria co-exist should include pre- and post-intervention evaluations and the measurement of hemoglobin and hematocrit levels and nutritional parameters as potential co-factors to determine whether interventions further improve upon fitness.

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“…8 The skinfold thickness, body weight, and height were measured and lean body mass (LBM) was obtained by the method of Durnin and Rahaman.14 Leg volume was estimated by the formula of Jones and Pearson" from measurements of the length and circumference of the leg at seven sites from the floor level: gluteal fold, one third subischial thigh, minimum thigh, knee joint, minimum calf, maximum calf, and ankle.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Energy expenditure of agricultural workers in an area of endemic schistosomiasis in the Sudan.

Karim¹,

Collins²,

Doré³

1987

Occupational and Environmental Medicine

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Indices of physiological performance in the field under natural working conditions were measured in 46 Sudanese Gezira villagers and related to exercise performance under controlled laboratory conditions. The effect of Schistosoma mansoni infection on energy expenditure in the field was also investigated. A highly significant positive association between the maximal aerobic power output (V02 max) measured in the laboratory with energy expenditure in the field (r = + 0-51, p < 0O001) and with changes in body weight during work (r = 041, p < 001) was found. The villagers' energy expenditure in field work amounted to 25-28 KJ/min, which corresponded to more than 50% of their predicted V02 max. They maintained that relative work level for more than an hour. The differences in energy expenditure between moderately infected and non-infected villagers with schistosomiasis did not attain statistical significance but the number of non-infected subjects on which the comparison was based was small.The energy cost of different occupational activities has been measured by several investigators'-' but only a few studies have been made on men performing self paced physical tasks.46 In tropical and subtropical regions where unsupervised work in farming communities is common, the capacity to perform physical work remains an important component of productivity7 which in turn is influenced by the presence of endemic disease.8 9 Apart from the investigations reported by Collins et al'0 no other attempt has been made to study objectively the effect of schistosomiasis infection on energy expenditure and productivity. Other studies examined the productivity of cane cutters in Tanzania and Cameroon,'' 12 where schistosomiasis ia also endemic, without giving data on actual energy expenditure of the cane cutters under normal working conditions. The present study aimed at assessing the levels of energy expenditure of a rural population performing self paced tasks in their natural working environment on farmland in the Gezira area of the Sudan. Measurements of work performance in the field were related to the potential work capacity of each individual by the laboratory assessment of the phyAccepted 15 July 1985 siological response to graded exercise, and also to schistosomiasis infection. Materials and methodsForty six men (aged between 18 and 45), eight of whom were non-infected and 38 were infected with Schistosomamansoni, were studied while performing self paced agricultural tasks with minimum interference from the observer. The present work forms part of a more comprehensive study of the effect of S mansoni infection on work capacity.8 Under the conditions of the present field study, standardisation of the work was found to be virtually impossible. For this reason the subjects had the option of choosing their own work tasks. The predominant task performed by most subjects was shovelling, either to make new edges or to divide the farming fields into small partitions. Other common tasks were cutting sorghum, clearing grass, clea...

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Quantitative Egg Excretion and Work Capacity in a Gezira Population Infected with Schistosoma Mansoni *

Cited by 21 publications

References 0 publications

Infection with Schistosoma mansoni has an Effect on Quality of Life, but not on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren in Mwanza Region, North-Western Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

Infection with Schistosoma mansoni has an Effect on Quality of Life, but not on Physical Fitness in Schoolchildren in Mwanza Region, North-Western Tanzania: A Cross-Sectional Study

Effect of Schistosomiasis and Soil-Transmitted Helminth Infections on Physical Fitness of School Children in Côte d'Ivoire

Energy expenditure of agricultural workers in an area of endemic schistosomiasis in the Sudan.

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