Self-diagnosis of active head lice infestation by individuals from an impoverished community: high sensitivity and specificity

Revista do Instituto de Medicina Tropical de São Paulo

Daniel Pilger²  Adak Khakban²  Jorg Heukelbach¹  Hermann Feldmeier² 

[1] ,University of Medicine Campus Benjamin Franklin Institute for Microbiology and HygieneBerlin,Germany

关键词: Head lice;    Epidemiology;    Diagnosis;    Sensitivity;    Specificity;    Predictive values;   

DOI  :  10.1590/S0036-46652008000200011

来源: SciELO

【 摘 要 】

To compare sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value (PPV) and negative predictive value (NPV) of self-diagnosis for head lice infestation with visual inspection, we conducted a study in an urban slum in Brazil. Individuals were asked about active head lice infestation (self-diagnosis); we performed visual inspection and thereafter wet combing (gold standard). Of the 175 individuals included, 77 (44%) had an active head lice infestation. For self-diagnosis, sensitivity (80.5%), specificity (91.8%), PPV (88.6%) and NPV (85.7%) were high. Sensitivity of visual inspection was 35.1%. Public health professionals can use self-diagnosis as a diagnostic tool, to estimate accurately prevalence of pediculosis in a community, and to monitor ongoing intervention strategies.

【 授权许可】

CC BY-NC   
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