Unknown

Dataset Information

0

Does vitamin A supplementation protect schoolchildren from acquiring soil-transmitted helminthiasis? A randomized controlled trial.


ABSTRACT: Despite the intensive global efforts to control intestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is still very high in many developing countries particularly among children in rural areas.A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 250 Aboriginal schoolchildren in Malaysia to investigate the effects of a single high-dose of vitamin A supplementation (200,000 IU) on STH reinfection. The effect of the supplement was assessed at 3 and 6 months after receiving interventions; after a complete 3-day deworming course of 400 mg/daily of albendazole tablets.Almost all children (98.6%) were infected with at least one STH species. The overall prevalence of ascariasis, trichuriasis and hookworm infection was 67.8%, 95.5% and 13.4%, respectively. Reinfection rates of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm were high; at 6 months, assessment reached 80% of the prevalence reported before treatment. There were no significant differences in the reinfection rates and intensities of STH between vitamin A supplemented-children and those who received placebo at 3 and 6 months (p >?0.05).Vitamin A supplementation showed no protective effect against STH reinfection and this could be due to the high endemicity of STH in this community. Long-term interventions to reduce poverty will help significantly in reducing this continuing problem and there is no doubt that reducing intestinal parasitic infection would have a positive impact on the health, nutrition and education of these children.This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT00936091.

SUBMITTER: Al-Mekhlafi HM 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4141119 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature

altmetric image

Publications

Does vitamin A supplementation protect schoolchildren from acquiring soil-transmitted helminthiasis? A randomized controlled trial.

Al-Mekhlafi Hesham M HM   Anuar Tengku Shahrul TS   Al-Zabedi Ebtesam M EM   Al-Maktari Mohamed T MT   Mahdy Mohammed A K MA   Ahmed Abdulhamid A   Sallam Atiya A AA   Abdullah Wan Ariffin WA   Moktar Norhayati N   Surin Johari J  

Parasites & vectors 20140815


<h4>Background</h4>Despite the intensive global efforts to control intestinal parasitic infections, the prevalence of soil-transmitted helminth (STH) infections is still very high in many developing countries particularly among children in rural areas.<h4>Methods</h4>A randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial was conducted on 250 Aboriginal schoolchildren in Malaysia to investigate the effects of a single high-dose of vitamin A supplementation (200,000 IU) on STH reinfection. The effec  ...[more]

Similar Datasets

| S-EPMC8555824 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3772033 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC3183777 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC6743035 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5596840 | biostudies-other
| S-EPMC8694453 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC5580801 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC4344912 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC7289558 | biostudies-literature
| S-EPMC8201552 | biostudies-literature