Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33985443›Full record

ArticleBMC ophthalmology2021

The population-based prevalence of trachomatous scarring in a trachoma hyperendemic setting: results from 152 impact surveys in Amhara, Ethiopia.

Tigist Astale, Caleb D Ebert, Andrew W Nute, Mulat Zerihun, Demelash Gessese, Berhanu Melak, Eshetu Sata, Zebene Ayele, Gedefaw Ayenew, E Kelly Callahan and 4 more

Open access · goldAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in BMC ophthalmology, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 6 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
6citing papers in PubMed
1.1field-weighted citation impact, top 24% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

6 citing papers in PubMed, 10 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Modelling morbidity for neglected tropical diseases: the long and winding road from cumulative exposure to long-term pathology.Philosophical transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological sciences · 2023
    Review
  4. Article
  5. Photographic grading for trachoma diagnosis within trachoma impact surveys in Amhara region, Ethiopia.Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene · 2023
    Article
  6. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

14 authors at 4 institutions in 2 countries.

Tigist AstaleThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Caleb D EbertF.I. Proctor Foundation, University of California, San Francisco, CA, San Francisco, USA. caleb.ebert@cartercenter.org.
Andrew W NuteThe Carter Center, GA, Atlanta, USA.
Mulat ZerihunThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Demelash GesseseThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Berhanu MelakThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Eshetu SataThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Zebene AyeleThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Gedefaw AyenewThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
E Kelly CallahanThe Carter Center, GA, Atlanta, USA.
Mahteme HaileAmhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Taye ZeruAmhara Public Health Institute, Bahir Dar, Ethiopia.
Zerihun TadesseThe Carter Center, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.
Scott D NashThe Carter Center, GA, Atlanta, USA.
The Carter Center · ETCarter Center · USEthiopian Public Health Institute · ETUniversity of California, San Francisco · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTrachomatous scarring (TS) results from repeated infection with the bacterium Chlamydia trachomatis. Pronounced scarring is an underlying cause of trachomatous trichiasis (TT) that can lead to blindness. Since the condition is irreversible, TS in adults has been considered a marker of past exposure to trachoma infection. The aim of this report was to estimate the population-based prevalence of TS within Amhara, Ethiopia, a region with a historically high burden of trachoma.

methodsDistrict-level multi-stage cluster surveys were conducted in all districts between 2010 and 2015 to monitor the impact of approximately 5 years of trachoma interventions. Approximately 40 households were sampled per cluster and all participants ages ≥ 1 year were graded for the 5 World Health Organization simplified signs. Before each survey round, trachoma graders participated in a 7-day training and reliability exam that included cases of TS. TS prevalence estimates were weighted to account for sampling design and adjusted for age and sex using post-stratification weighting.

resultsAcross the 152 districts in Amhara, 208,510 individuals ages 1 year and older were examined for the signs of trachoma. Region-wide, the prevalence of TS was 8.2 %, (95 % Confidence Interval [CI]: 7.7-8.6 %), and the prevalence among individuals ages 15 years and older (n = 110,137) was 12.6 % (95 % CI: 12.0-13.3 %). District-level TS prevalence among individuals ages 15 years and older ranged from 0.9 to 36.9 % and was moderately correlated with district prevalence of TT (r = 0.31; P < 0.001). The prevalence of TS increased with age, reaching 22.4 % among those ages 56 to 60 years and 24.2 % among those ages 61 to 65 years. Among children ages 1 to 15 years TS prevalence was 2.2 % (95 % CI: 1.8-2.8 %), increased with age (P < 0.001), and 5 % of individuals with TS also had trachomatous inflammation-intense (TI).

conclusionsThese results suggest that Amhara has had a long history of trachoma exposure and that a large population remains at risk for developing TT. It is promising, however, that children, many born after interventions began, have low levels of TS compared to other known trachoma-hyperendemic areas.

Indexed as

TrachomaAdolescentAdultAgedChildChild, PreschoolCicatrixCross-Sectional StudiesEthiopiaHumansInfantMiddle AgedPrevalenceReproducibility of ResultsChlamydia trachomatisEthiopiaSurveyTrachomaTrachomatous scarring

Identifiers

PMID33985443
PMCPMC8120834
OpenAlexW3161764282

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.