IS TRICHURIASIS ASSOCIATED WITH IRON-DEFICIENCY ANEMIA

We performed quantitative fecal examinations, hemograms, and serum iron determinations on 103 first-grade children from Vieques Island, Puerto Rico, to determine whether trichuriasis was associated with iron deficiency and anemia. Although hemoglobin values tended to be slightly lower in Trichuris-infected children, there was no association between trichuriasis and serum iron or transferrin saturation values. These data demonstrate that in lightly infected children such as the population studied trichuriasis is not associated with iron deficiency anemia.