Title
The effect of cumulative soil-transmitted helminth infections over time on child development: A 4-year longitudinal cohort study in preschool children using Bayesian methods to adjust for exposure misclassification
Date Issued
01 August 2018
Access level
open access
Resource Type
journal article
Author(s)
Blouin B.
Joseph L.
Kaufman J.S.
Larson C.
Gyorkos T.W.
Publisher(s)
Oxford University Press
Abstract
Background: Limited research has documented an association between soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections and child development. This has recently been identified as an important knowledge gap. Methods: A longitudinal cohort study was conducted in Iquitos, Peru, between September 2011 and July 2016. A cohort of 880 children, recruited at 1year of age, was followed up to 5years. STH infection was measured annually and child development was measured with the Wechsler Preschool and Primary Scale of Intelligence III (WPPSI-III) at 5years. Linearregression models were used to investigate the effect of the number of detected STH infections between 1 and 5years of age on WPPSI-III scores at 5years of age. Bayesian latent class analysis was used to adjust for exposure misclassification. Results: A total of 781 (88.8%) children were included in the analysis. In multivariable analysis, adjusted for STH misclassification, increasing numbers of Ascaris, Trichuris, hookworm and any STH infections were associated with lower WPPSI-III scores. Among the largest observed effects were those for the effect of Ascaris infection on verbal IQ scores [difference in IQ (95% CrI) for two, three, and four or five detected infections compared with zero or one infection:-8.27 (-13.85,-3.10),-6.69 (-12.05,-2.05) and-5.06 (-10.75, 0.05), respectively]. Misclassification of STH infection generally led to a bias towards the null. Conclusions: These results document an association between STH infection and child development. The results highlight the importance of adjusting for STH misclassification; however, future research is needed to accurately determine the sensitivity of STH diagnostic techniques. STH control in preschool children may contribute to lowering the disease burden associated with poor child development.
Start page
1180
End page
1194
Volume
47
Issue
4
Language
English
OCDE Knowledge area
Parasitología
Scopus EID
2-s2.0-85051288247
PubMed ID
Source
International Journal of Epidemiology
ISSN of the container
03005771
Sponsor(s)
Research reported in this publication was supported by the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases of the National Institutes of Health under Award Number P50AI098574. The content is solely the responsibility of the authors and does not necessarily represent the official views of the National Institutes of Health. This work was also supported by the Thrasher Research Fund (02832-2 to T.W.G) and the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (MOP-110969 to T.W.G.).
Sources of information: Directorio de Producción Científica Scopus