Iron deficiency anaemia associated with helminths and asymptomatic malaria infections among rural school children in Southwestern Nigeria

ObjectiveTo estimate the relative contribution of causes of anaemia in the rural communities and evaluate the association between parasitic infections and anaemia.MethodsA total of 292 blood and stool samples of aged 1–15 years school children were collected and analyzed using direct smear saline preparation and concentration methods for examination of ova of parasites in the stool samples with thick and thin blood films stained using Giemsa and Leishman stains as described by World Health Organization. Serum was estimated using ELISA test kit by Syntron Bioresearch, Inc., USA.ResultsThe overall prevalence rate of parasitic infection was 66.4% with four species of intestinal helminth identified. Ascaris lubricoides (50.0%) was the most common followed by hookworm (8.9%), Trichuris trichiura (6.2%) and Schistosoma mansoni (1.4%). The mean haemoglobin level of plasmodium positive school children without intestinal helminth infection (10.8 g/dL) was slightly higher than those with intestinal helminth (10.0 g/dL). The mean serum ferritin of plasmodium positive without intestinal helminth (23.7 g/L) was also higher than those with helminth (22.5 g/L) and the differences were not statistically significant (P>0.05). Age and gender also made no significant differences in the distribution of the infections. However, there was a significant effect on weight and height by intestinal helminth infections (P<0.05).ConclusionsIt is recommended that the public be adequately health educated on the epidemiology of intestinal helminth infection. A periodic mass treatment of school children with iron supplementation is advocated.