HEMOGLOBIN CONCENTRATIONS AND CONCOMITANT INFECTIONS OF HOOKWORM AND TRICHURIS-TRICHIURA IN PANAMANIAN PRIMARY SCHOOLCHILDREN

The blood haemoglobin concentrations and intestinal helminth infections were surveyed in 658 children aged between 6 and 12 years attending 4 primary schools in Cocle Province, Panama, in November 1987. 147 (22.3%) of the children were judged to have haemoglobin concentrations indicative of iron-deficiency anaemia. Blood haemoglobin concentrations were significantly lower in children with heavier Trichuris trichiura infections (>5000 eggs/g) (P=0.014), and in children with dual infections of both hookworm and T. trichiura (P=0.005). Children with concomitant T. trichiura and hookworm infections were also significantly more likely to have blood haemoglobin levels indicative of anaemia than children who were uninfected or had single infections with either of these helminths (P<0.005). In a longitudinal study involving 171 children selected from the original 658, blood haemoglobin concentrations were measured again in November 1988. Children who were considered to show an improvement in both hookworm and T. trichiura infections over this 12 month period showed a significantly greater increase in blood haemoglobin concentrations than children who had remained uninfected with either of these helminths throughout the study period (P<0.05).