TY - JOUR
T1 - Association of helminth infestation with childhood asthma
T2 - a nested case-control study
AU - Senaratna, Chamara V.
AU - Perera, Piyumali K.
AU - Arulkumaran, Segarajasingam
AU - Abeysekara, Nirupama
AU - Piyumanthi, Pramodya
AU - Hamilton, Garun S.
AU - Nixon, Gillian M.
AU - Rajakaruna, Rupika S.
AU - Dharmage, Shyamali C.
N1 - Funding Information:
This study was funded by the University of Peradeniya (Research Grant No URG/2016/88/S ) and the Non-Communicable Diseases Research Centre of the University of Sri Jayewardenepura .
Publisher Copyright:
© 2023 The Authors
PY - 2023/3
Y1 - 2023/3
N2 - Objectives: The association between helminthiasis and asthma remains inconclusive but can only be investigated in counties where helminthiasis is transitioning from a high to low burden. We investigated this association using data from a childhood respiratory cohort in Sri Lanka. Methods: A case-control study was nested within a population-based cohort of children aged 6-14 years in Sri Lanka. The stool samples of 190 children with asthma and 190 children without asthma were analyzed to assess the burden of helminth infestation. Logistic regression models were fitted to investigate the association of gastrointestinal helminth species with asthma. Results: Helminthiasis in children with and without asthma was 23.3% (n = 44) and 15.3% (n = 23), respectively. Those with asthma were more likely to have helminthiasis (odds ratio 3.7; 95% confidence interval 1.7, 7.7; P = 0.001), particularly with Trichiuris trichura (odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval 1.6, 12.3; P = 0.004). Helminth eggs per gram of feces were not associated with asthma (P >0.05). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate a positive association between T. trichura infestation and asthma and point to the need to fully characterize this association to understand the likely immunological mechanism that drives it. This association highlights an important public health intervention in countries where these infestations are still prevalent, affecting 24% of the population worldwide.
AB - Objectives: The association between helminthiasis and asthma remains inconclusive but can only be investigated in counties where helminthiasis is transitioning from a high to low burden. We investigated this association using data from a childhood respiratory cohort in Sri Lanka. Methods: A case-control study was nested within a population-based cohort of children aged 6-14 years in Sri Lanka. The stool samples of 190 children with asthma and 190 children without asthma were analyzed to assess the burden of helminth infestation. Logistic regression models were fitted to investigate the association of gastrointestinal helminth species with asthma. Results: Helminthiasis in children with and without asthma was 23.3% (n = 44) and 15.3% (n = 23), respectively. Those with asthma were more likely to have helminthiasis (odds ratio 3.7; 95% confidence interval 1.7, 7.7; P = 0.001), particularly with Trichiuris trichura (odds ratio 4.5; 95% confidence interval 1.6, 12.3; P = 0.004). Helminth eggs per gram of feces were not associated with asthma (P >0.05). Conclusion: Our findings demonstrate a positive association between T. trichura infestation and asthma and point to the need to fully characterize this association to understand the likely immunological mechanism that drives it. This association highlights an important public health intervention in countries where these infestations are still prevalent, affecting 24% of the population worldwide.
KW - Asthma
KW - Child
KW - Gastrointestinal
KW - Helminthiasis
KW - Parasitic infestation
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85146869056&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.01.004
DO - 10.1016/j.ijid.2023.01.004
M3 - Article
C2 - 36632894
AN - SCOPUS:85146869056
SN - 1201-9712
VL - 128
SP - 272
EP - 277
JO - International Journal of Infectious Diseases
JF - International Journal of Infectious Diseases
ER -
