Background: Anaemia is a serious public health problem
affecting nearly 42% of children less than 5 years of age globally. In Cote
d`Ivoire, 72% of the children aged 6-59 months were anemic in 2019. Anemia is
defined as a reduction in the hemoglobin level in the peripheral blood below
the normal threshold set for a particular population. Very commonly in the
subtropics, helminthes, protozoans or malaria co-infect the same person,
causing morbidities that vary according to age and region. According to the
WHO, the prevalence of intestinal protozooses is high worldwide, with over 3
billion people infected, including 450 million in developing countries. This
research study aims to characterize the type of anemia observed in 6 years old
children infected with helminthes and protozoans in the Western part of Côte
d`Ivoire, in order to improve the recommended strategy of care.
Methods: The study was carried out from March 2020 to May 2021 in 22 villages
of Biankouma and Man, in the Tonkpi Region, with a cohort of 451 children, both
male and female, aged from 3 months to 6 years. All the children were diagnosed
with anemia and collected both stool and urine for diagnosis of intestinal
schistosomiasis and protozoosis. The children provided venous blood samples for
the diagnosis and characterization of anemia (full blood count), and urines and
stool samples were used for the diagnosis of helminthiasis and protozoosis.
Univariate analysis (Chi-2 test (X2) and P: (Probability) were used for
comparison between groups. A significant test was considered at a threshold of
0.05.
Results: Of the 451 children who completed the study, 221 (49.0%) were female
and 230 (51.0%) were male. Helminthes infections (230, 51.0%) were more
prevalent than the protozoans’ infections (40, 8.9%). 50.0% of children
infected by intestinal helminthes (S. mansoni) were anemics (33.9% mild, 64.4%
moderate and 1.7% severe). The characterization of anemia revealed that
hypochromic microcytic anemia (HMA) was the predominant type, being found in 87
(74.8%) children. It was followed by normochromic microcytic anemia (12
children, 10.4%), normochromic normocytic anemia (09 children, 7.8%), and,
finally, hypochromic normocytic anemia (08 children, 7.0%).
Conclusion: S. mansoni infection was highly prevalent among 6 years old
children in both sexes and in different age groups, although the number of
helminthes parasites present during infections was greatest in older children.
Similarly, the prevalence of anemia was high, with moderate anemia and HMA
being more prevalent in 6 years old children in the western region of Côte
d’Ivoire.
Author(s) Details:
Mocket Adolphe Ehouman,
Olopam Pharma and Research & Development, 10 BP 1274 Abidjan 10,
Côte d’Ivoire and Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université
Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 770, Abidjan 22, Côte d’ivoire.
Kouakou Eliezer
Ngoran,
Unité de
Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP
770, Abidjan 22, Côte d’ivoire.
Rufin Kouassi Assare,
Unité de Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix
Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP 770, Abidjan 22, Côte d’ivoire.
Ahossan Andre Ehouman,
Institute de Cardiologie, Abidjan, Côte d`Ivoire, BP V206 Abidjan,
Côte d’Ivoire.
Pamela Nassinata Dosso,
Olopam Pharma and Research & Development, 10 BP 1274 Abidjan 10,
Côte d’Ivoire.
Cyrille Koffi Konan,
Unité de
Formation et de Recherche Biosciences, Université Félix Houphouët-Boigny, 22 BP
770, Abidjan 22, Côte d’ivoire.
Please see the link here: https://stm.bookpi.org/RUDHR-V2/article/view/13502
