ArticleBMC infectious diseases2022
Effect of Schistosoma haematobium infection on the cognitive functions of preschool age children and benefits of treatment from an endemic area in Zimbabwe.
Article in BMC infectious diseases, 2022. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 13 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Who cites it
13 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 16 citations in OpenAlex.
- Prevalence of depressive symptoms in patients with advanced schistosomiasis in China: A systematic review and meta-analysis.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2024Pooled it
- Effects of paediatric schistosomiasis control programmes in sub-Saharan Africa: A systematic review.PloS one · 2024Pooled it
- Distribution of schistosomes and soil-transmitted helminth infections and their association with growth and nutritional status of School-aged children of the Matta health area in the West region of Cameroon.PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Does schistosome infection affect behavior through the gut-brain axis?PLoS neglected tropical diseases · 2025Article
- Understanding the Feasibility to Implement Schistosomiasis Elimination Project Under China-Zimbabwe Cooperation: A Pilot Study Protocol.Journal of epidemiology and global health · 2025Article
- Infectious morbidity and white blood cell count associated with grade repetition and school absenteeism.Acta paediatrica (Oslo, Norway : 1992) · 2025Observational
- National Consensus on Introducing and Delivery of Paediatric Praziquantel for Curative and Preventive Treatment of Schistosomiasis Among Pre-school Children in Tanzania.The East African health research journal · 2025Article
- Group 2 innate lymphoid cells promote inhibitory synapse development and social behavior.Science (New York, N.Y.) · 2024Article
- Review
- Article
- Article
- Review of Recent Prevalence of Urogenital Schistosomiasis in Sub-Saharan Africa and Diagnostic Challenges in the Field Setting.Life (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- The association of systemic inflammation and cognitive functions of pre-school aged children residing in aFrontiers in immunology · 2023Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
13 authors at 5 institutions in 4 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundSchistosomiasis is known to affect the cognitive functions of children, however, but there is paucity of information on its impact on early childhood development in developing countries where the disease is endemic. This study aimed at determining the effects of schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma haematobium on early childhood development in children below 5 years old from Murewa District, Zimbabwe, including the benefits of treatment.
methodsPreschool age children (PSAC) under the age of 5 years were screened at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment for S. haematobium infections diagnosed using the urine filtration method. Cognitive domains were assessed using the Griffith Mental Developmental Scales III on 136 PSAC. Multivariate logistic regression was used to determine the level of association between S. haematobium infection and performance in the cognitive domains adjusting for confounding factors (i.e. nutrition, hemoglobin levels, gender and age). Median Development Quotient scores of each cognitive domain at baseline and at 6 months post-treatment were compared and quantified.
resultsAfter adjusting for confounding factors, PSAC infected with S. haematobium had greater odds of having lower scores in the Foundation of Learning Domain (OR = 3.9, p = 0.008), Language and Communication Domain (OR = 3.2, p = 0.017), Eye-Hand Coordination Domains (OR = 10.7, p = 0.001), Personal-Social-Emotional Domain (19.3, p = 0.001) and in the Overall General Development Domain (7.2, p = 0.011). Improvement of cognitive performance was observed at 6 months post treatment in the following Domains; Language and Communication Domain (p = 0.003), Eye-Hand Coordination Domain (p = 0.02) and General Development Domain (p = 0.006).
conclusionThe study showed that S. haematobium infection in PSAC is associated with lower cognitive scores in the Foundation of Learning, Language and Communication, Eye-Hand Coordination, Personal-Social-Emotional and in the Overall General Development domains. Our results strengthen the call for inclusion of PSAC in routine deworming programs for the control of urinary schistosomiasis and the need to develop locally validated tools to monitor early child development in endemic areas where resources are limited.
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