Manifestation of arsenicosis patients and factors determining the duration of arsenic symptoms in Bangladesh

This study analyzed a total of 1482 arsenicosis patients living in 6 of 496 upzilas (sub-districts) of Bangladesh, who were identified through household screening and then confirmed by a trained medical team headed by medical officer. Melanosis was common (97%) among them but about two-thirds (68.7%) of the patients were suffering from keratosis. Average age was 36 years and average duration of arsenic symptoms was 3 (median) years. About 50% of the patients had been drinking tubewell water more than 24 years. Melanosis was significantly associated with younger patients (P = 0.031), shallower tubewell (P = 0.005), and complication of conjunctivitis (P < 0.001). Keratosis was also significantly associated with older age (P = 0.022), shallower tubewell (P < 0.001), complication of conjunctivitis (P < 0.001), bronchitis (P < 0.001), loss of appetite (P < 0.001), and wasting (P < 0.001). Duration of arsenic symptoms was significantly associated with older age (P < 0.001), male (P = 0.002), married (P < 0.001), smoking (P = 0.002), longer duration of consuming tubewell water (P < 0.001), complication of conjunctivitis (P = 0.002), loss of appetite (P < 0.001), wasting (P = 0.006), and social problem faced having arsenicosis (P = 0.040). Multivariate odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) indicated that keratosis (OR = 2.00; 95% CI: 1.56-2.56) was significantly associated with longer duration of arsenic symptoms; loss of appetite (OR = 1.40; 95% CI: 1.12-1.74) was a significant complication for longer duration. Similarly smoking (OR = 1.33; 95% CI: 1.06-1.68) was positively associated with longer duration of arsenic symptom. These findings will help the policy makers of Bangladesh to understand about the factors that may affect the severity condition of the patients through prolongation of arsenic symptoms.