ArticleAllergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology2021
Intestinal helminthic infection and allergic disorders among school children enrolled in mass deworming program, Sululta, Ethiopia.
Article in Allergy, asthma, and clinical immunology : official journal of the Canadian Society of Allergy and Clinical Immunology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
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2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it, 2 citations in OpenAlex.
- Atopic dermatitis and its associated factors in Ethiopia: a systematic review and meta-analysis.BMC infectious diseases · 2025Pooled it
- Intestinal Parasitic Infections and Respiratory Morbidity in Children with Sickle Cell Disease in French Guiana: A Multicenter Cross-Sectional Study.Tropical medicine and infectious disease · 2026Article
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8 authors at 3 institutions in 2 countries.
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No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIntestinal helminths have been proposed to have a protective role against allergic sensitization and atopic diseases. However, consistent data demonstrating this are lacking in Sub-Saharan countries. We aimed to assess the association between intestinal helminths and allergic disorders among school children enrolled in mass deworming program in Sululta, Ethiopia.
methodsA cross sectional study was conducted among 526 school children aged 5 to 14 years old from primary government schools in Sululta district, Ethiopia. An interviewer-led questionnaire administered to parents provided information on demographic and lifestyle variables. Questions on allergic disease symptoms were collected using the International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Children (ISAAC) questionnaire 6 months following deworming treatments. Atopy was defined as a positive skin prick test reaction to one or both dust mite (Dermatophagoides) and German cockroach (Blatella germanica) allergens. Fresh stool samples were collected, processed, and examined by direct wet mount, Kato-Katz technique, and formol-ether concentration technique. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to assess the association between allergic disorder and helminths infection.
resultsOf the total 526 school children, 58.2% were females. Overall, 24% (126/526) had allergic symptoms, 5.1% (27/526) had atopy, and 16.9% (89/526) had intestinal helminths. There was no association between helminthic infection and self-reported allergic symptoms (P = 0.317), but Ascaris lumbricoides infection was positively associated with atopy (AOR = 4.307, 95% CI 1.143-16.222, P = 0.031). Atopy was related to increased allergy symptoms (AOR = 2.787, 95% CI 1.253-6.197, P = 0.012), and family history of allergy was associated with increased childhood allergy (AOR = 2.753, 95% CI 1.565-4.841, P = 0.001). Deworming in the past 6 months showed a reduced odd of self-reported allergic symptoms (AOR = 0.581, 95% CI 0.366-0.954, P = 0.034).
conclusionWhile no significant association between self-reported allergy and helminths was found in this study, this may have been due to the low prevalence and intensity of helminthic infection in the sample. There was a positive association between Ascaris lumbricoides and atopy. To further examine the underlying mechanism behind this positive association, a longitudinal study is needed.
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