Abstract
BackgroundPrevious studies reported contradicting findings about the association between intestinal parasitosis and maternal anemia. In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its association with anemia among pregnant women in Wondo Genet district, Southern Ethiopia.MethodsThis facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in June and July 2018. Pregnant women (n = 352) were randomly drawn from five health centers using antenatal care follow-up lists. Trained data collectors administered the questionnaire. Capillary blood was collected and analyzed for hemoglobin using the HemoCue method. Stool sample was collected following standard procedure and analyzed for the presence and types of intestinal parasites using direct microscopy with Formalin-ether concentration technique. Association between intestinal parasitosis and anemia was measured using multivariable binary logistic regression analysis. The outputs are presented using adjusted odds ratio (AOR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI).ResultsThe overall prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection was 38.7% (95% CI: 33.6–43.8%). One-tenth (9.7%) of the pregnant women were infected with polyparasites. Ascaris lumbricoides was the predominant infection encountered in 24.9% of the women. The other infections identified were: hookworms (11.2%), Giardia lamblia (5.4%), Entamoeba histolytica (3.4%), Trichuris trichiura (2.9%) and Schistosoma mansoni (2.3%). The mean (± standard deviation) hemoglobin concentration was 12.3 (±1.9) g/dl and 31.5% (95% CI: 26.6–36.4%) women were anemic (hemoglobin < 11 g/dl). The prevalence of anemia among women infected with intestinal parasite (55.6%) was substantially higher than the prevalence in their counterparts (16.4%) (p < 0.001). In a multivariable model adjusted for multiple potential confounders including socio-economic status indicators, the odds of anemia were six times increased (AOR = 6.14, 95% CI: 2.04–18.45) among those affected by at least one intestinal parasite.ConclusionStrengthening the existing water, sanitation and hygiene programs and routine deworming of pregnant mothers may help to reduce the burden of both intestinal parasitic infection and anemia in pregnant women.
Highlights
Previous studies reported contradicting findings about the association between intestinal parasitosis and maternal anemia
According to a systematic review, a single dose of antihelminthic in the second trimester of pregnancy showed no effect on the hemoglobin status of pregnant women [20]. In this cross-sectional study we aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its relationship with anemia among pregnant women in Wondo Genet district, Southern Ethiopia. Study design This facility-based cross-sectional study was conducted in June and July 2018 among pregnant women booked for antenatal care (ANC) in five public health centers of Wondo Genet district, Southern Ethiopia
The participants were selected from five health centers located at altitude ranging from 1761 to 2690 m above sea level (ASL)
Summary
Previous studies reported contradicting findings about the association between intestinal parasitosis and maternal anemia. In this study we aimed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infection and its association with anemia among pregnant women in Wondo Genet district, Southern Ethiopia. Between 1990 and 2010, the global prevalence of anemia declined by nearly 20% from 40 to 33% [1]. Anemia remains a major concern with moderate or severe public health significance in more than 80% of the world countries [2]. According to the 2005 estimate, anemia has severe public health significance in Ethiopia [2]. In 2016, the national prevalence among pregnant women was 29% and the figure did not decline over the previous decade [3, 4]
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