Helminthic infection and anthropometric indicators in children from a tropical slum: Ascaris reinfection after anthelmintic treatment.

Abstract

We evaluated helminthic infection and anthropometric indicators of nutritional status in a group of school-age children from a slum area of Caracas, Venezuela. The proportions of children at or below the 10th percentiles for height/age and weight/age were significantly higher in those presenting helminthiasis than in those uninfected. Although this could partially reflect a codependence of both helminthic infection and undernutrition or poverty, when the children were administered regular anthelmintic treatment for a year their anthropometric values improved significantly. When they were re-evaluated 8 months after the end of anthelmintic administration, the degree of reinfection by the most common helminth, Ascaris lumbricoides, was significantly higher in the growth-retarded children. These results confirm the relationship between helminthic infection and decreased growth rates in underprivileged populations, and indicate that children at nutritional risk are more susceptible to such infections, even after a prolonged parasite-free period.