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Raj E, Calvo-Urbano B, Heffernan C, Halder J, Webster JP. Systematic review to evaluate a potential association between helminth infection and physical stunting in children. Parasit Vectors 2022; 15:135. [PMID: 35443698 PMCID: PMC9022337 DOI: 10.1186/s13071-022-05235-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2021] [Accepted: 03/10/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Despite considerable public health efforts over the past 20 years, childhood stunting (physical and/or cognitive) levels globally remain unacceptably high-at 22% amongst children under 5 years old in 2020. The aetiology of stunting is complex and still largely unknown. Helminths can cause significant mortality and morbidity and have often been cited as major causative agents for stunting, although their actual role in childhood stunting remains unclear. Our aim was to systematically review the current evidence to help support or refute the hypothesis that helminths cause physical stunting in children. METHODS Inclusion criteria were as follows: infected with (and/or exposed to) helminths (soil-transmitted helminths, schistosomes or food-borne trematodes), children, pregnant or breastfeeding women as study participants (children included infants 0-1 year old, preschool-age children 1-5 years and school-age children > 5 years old), anthelmintic treatment intervention, stunting-related variables reported (e.g. height, height-for-age z-score, birth weight), helminth infection reported in relation to stunting, any geographic location, any date, peer-reviewed literature only. Exclusion criteria were: non-primary research, study protocols, studies with no new data, non-English language papers and animal (non-human) helminth studies. Seven databases were searched on 28 May 2021. Risk of bias was assessed for included studies and GRADE was used for studies included in RCT subgroup meta-analyses (in preschool-age children and pregnant women). This systematic review was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42021256201). RESULTS Eighty studies were included in the analyses. No significant overall evidence was found in support of the hypothesis that helminths cause physical stunting in children, although there was some association with wasting. CONCLUSIONS Whilst analyses of the available literature to date failed to support a direct association between helminth infection and childhood stunting, there was significant heterogeneity between studies, and many had follow-up periods which may have been too short to detect impacts on growth. Most apparent was a lack of available data from key demographic groups wherein one may predict the greatest association of helminth infection with stunting-notably that of infants, preschool-age children, and pregnant or nursing women. Thus this review highlights the urgent need for further targeted empirical research amongst these potentially most vulnerable demographic groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- E Raj
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK.
| | - B Calvo-Urbano
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK
- London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, W2 1PG, London, UK
| | - C Heffernan
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK
- London International Development Centre, London, WC1A 2NS, UK
| | - J Halder
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK
- London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, W2 1PG, London, UK
| | - J P Webster
- Department of Pathobiology and Population Sciences, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, Hertfordshire, AL9 7TA, UK.
- London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Imperial College Faculty of Medicine, W2 1PG, London, UK.
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Park JJH, Harari O, Siden E, Zoratti M, Dron L, Zannat NE, Lester RT, Thorlund K, Mills EJ. Interventions to improve birth outcomes of pregnant women living in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Gates Open Res 2020; 3:1657. [PMID: 33134854 PMCID: PMC7520556 DOI: 10.12688/gatesopenres.13081.2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 08/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Improving the health of pregnant women is important to prevent adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birthweight. We evaluated the comparative effectiveness of interventions under the domains of micronutrient, balanced energy protein, deworming, maternal education, and water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for their effects on these adverse birth outcomes. Methods: For this network meta-analysis, we searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of interventions provided to pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We searched for reports published until September 17, 2019 and hand-searched bibliographies of existing reviews. We extracted data from eligible studies for study characteristics, interventions, participants' characteristics at baseline, and birth outcomes. We compared effects on preterm birth (<37 gestational week), low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g), and birthweight (continuous) using studies conducted in LMICs. Results: Our network meta-analyses were based on 101 RCTs (132 papers) pertaining to 206,531 participants. Several micronutrients and balanced energy food supplement interventions demonstrated effectiveness over standard-of-care. For instance, versus standard-of-care, micronutrient supplements for pregnant women, such as iron and calcium, decreased risks of preterm birth (iron: RR=0.70, 95% credible interval [Crl] 0.47, 1.01; calcium: RR=0.76, 95%Crl 0.56, 0.99). Daily intake of 1500kcal of local food decreased the risks of preterm birth (RR=0.36, 95%Crl 0.16, 0.77) and LBW (RR=0.17, 95%Crl 0.09, 0.29), respectively when compared to standard-of-care. Educational and deworming interventions did not show improvements in birth outcomes, and no WASH intervention trials reported on these adverse birth outcomes. Conclusion: We found several pregnancy interventions that improve birth outcomes. However, most clinical trials have only evaluated interventions under a single domain (e.g. micronutrients) even though the causes of adverse birth outcomes are multi-faceted. There is a need to combine interventions that of different domains as packages and test for their effectiveness. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42018110446; registered on 17 October 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay J. H. Park
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Ofir Harari
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
| | - Ellie Siden
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Michael Zoratti
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Louis Dron
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
| | | | - Richard T. Lester
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Kristian Thorlund
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Edward J. Mills
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
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Gárate-Escamilla AK, Garza-Padilla E, Carvajal Rivera A, Salas-Castro C, Andrès E, Hajjam El Hassani A. Cluster Analysis: A New Approach for Identification of Underlying Risk Factors and Demographic Features of First Trimester Pregnancy Women. J Clin Med 2020; 9:E2247. [PMID: 32679845 PMCID: PMC7408845 DOI: 10.3390/jcm9072247] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/12/2020] [Revised: 07/10/2020] [Accepted: 07/13/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Thyroid pathology is reported internationally in 5-10% of all pregnancies. The overall aim of this research was to determine the prevalence of hypothyroidism and risk factors during the first trimester screening in a Mexican patients sample. We included the records of 306 patients who attended a prenatal control consultation between January 2016 and December 2017 at the Women's Institute in Monterrey, Mexico. The studied sample had homogeneous demographic characteristics in terms of age, weight, height, BMI (body mass index) and number of pregnancies. The presence of at least one of the risk factors for thyroid disease was observed in 39.2% of the sample. Two and three clusters were identified, in which patients varied considerably among risk factors, symptoms and pregnancy complications. Compared to Cluster 0, one or more symptoms or signs of hypothyroidism occurred, while Cluster 1 was characterized by healthier patients. When three clusters were used, Cluster 2 had a higher TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone) value and pregnancy complications. There were no significant differences in perinatal variables. In addition, high TSH levels in first trimester pregnancy are characterized by pregnancy complications and decreased newborn weight. Our findings underline the high degree of disease heterogeneity with existing pregnant hypothyroid patients and the need to improve the phenotyping of the syndrome in the Mexican population.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Edelmiro Garza-Padilla
- Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Monterrey 64700, Mexico; (E.G.-P.); (A.C.R.); (C.S.-C.)
| | - Agustín Carvajal Rivera
- Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Monterrey 64700, Mexico; (E.G.-P.); (A.C.R.); (C.S.-C.)
| | - Celina Salas-Castro
- Monterrey Institute of Technology and Higher Education, Monterrey 64700, Mexico; (E.G.-P.); (A.C.R.); (C.S.-C.)
| | - Emmanuel Andrès
- Service de Médecine Interne, Diabète et Maladies Métaboliques de la Clinique Médicale B, CHRU de Strasbourg, 67091 Strasbourg, France;
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Park JJH, Harari O, Siden E, Zoratti M, Dron L, Zannat NE, Lester RT, Thorlund K, Mills EJ. Interventions to improve birth outcomes of pregnant women living in low- and middle-income countries: a systematic review and network meta-analysis. Gates Open Res 2019; 3:1657. [PMID: 33134854 PMCID: PMC7520556 DOI: 10.12688/gatesopenres.13081.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/04/2019] [Indexed: 09/18/2023] Open
Abstract
Background: Improving the health of pregnant women is important to prevent adverse birth outcomes, such as preterm birth and low birthweight. We evaluated the comparative effectiveness of interventions under the domains of micronutrient, balanced energy protein, deworming, maternal education, and water sanitation and hygiene (WASH) for their effects on these adverse birth outcomes. Methods: For this network meta-analysis, we searched for randomized clinical trials (RCTs) of interventions provided to pregnant women in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). We searched for reports published until September 17, 2019 and hand-searched bibliographies of existing reviews. We extracted data from eligible studies for study characteristics, interventions, participants' characteristics at baseline, and birth outcomes. We compared effects on preterm birth (<37 gestational week), low birthweight (LBW; <2500 g), and birthweight (continuous) using studies conducted in LMICs. Results: Our network meta-analyses were based on 101 RCTs (132 papers) pertaining to 206,531 participants. Several micronutrients and balanced energy food supplement interventions demonstrated effectiveness over standard-of-care. For instance, versus standard-of-care, micronutrient supplements for pregnant women, such as iron and calcium, decreased risks of preterm birth (iron: RR=0.70, 95% credible interval [Crl] 0.47, 1.01; calcium: RR=0.76, 95%Crl 0.56, 0.99). Daily intake of 1500kcal of local food decreased the risks of preterm birth (RR=0.36, 95%Crl 0.16, 0.77) and LBW (RR=0.17, 95%Crl 0.09, 0.29), respectively when compared to standard-of-care. Educational and deworming interventions did not show improvements in birth outcomes, and no WASH intervention trials reported on these adverse birth outcomes. Conclusion: We found several pregnancy interventions that improve birth outcomes. However, most clinical trials have only evaluated interventions under a single domain (e.g. micronutrients) even though the causes of adverse birth outcomes are multi-faceted. There is a need to combine interventions that of different domains as packages and test for their effectiveness. Registration: PROSPERO CRD42018110446; registered on 17 October 2018.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jay J. H. Park
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Ofir Harari
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
| | - Ellie Siden
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Michael Zoratti
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Louis Dron
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
| | | | - Richard T. Lester
- Experimental Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1M9, Canada
| | - Kristian Thorlund
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
| | - Edward J. Mills
- MTEK Sciences, Vancouver, BC, V5Z 1J5, Canada
- Department of Health Research Methodology, Evidence, and Impact, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, L8S 4L8, Canada
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