Prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Brazil: a systematic review

Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical. Revista

article

Ariel Oliveira Celestino¹  Sarah Cristina Fontes Vieira²  Pablo Amercio Silva Lima²  Larissa Maria Cardoso Lima Rodrigues²  Isabel Ribeiro Santana Lopes³  Camila Mendonça França²  Ikaro Daniel de Carvalho Barreto⁴  Ricardo Queiroz Gurgel² 

[1] Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde;Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciências da Saúde, Brasil. Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Departamento de Medicina;Universidade Federal de Sergipe, Departamento de Medicina, Campus Lagarto;Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco, Programa de Pós-Graduação em Biometria e Estatística Aplicada

关键词: Parasitic diseases;    Health policy;    Communicable diseases;   

DOI  :  10.1590/0037-8682-0033-2021

学科分类：农业科学（综合）

来源: Sociedade Brasileira de Medicina Tropical

【 摘 要 】

Introduction: Parasitic infections are considered a major public health problem due to their associated morbimortality and negative impact on physical and intellectual development, especially in the at-risk pediatric group. Periodic prophylactic administration of antiparasitic agents against soil-transmitted helminths is recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) to control parasitic infections and disease burden. We aimed to evaluate the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections in Brazil. Methods: We performed a systematic review by searching the literature found in the PubMed, LILACS, and SciELO databases, followed by a meta-analysis of the proportions from studies published in English, Portuguese, and/or Spanish from January 2000 to May 2018. This systematic review was registered in the PROSPERO database (CRD42018096214). Results: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections (protozoa and/or helminths) in Brazil was 46% (confidence interval: 39–54%), with 99% heterogeneity. Prevalence varied by region: 37%, 51%, 50%, 58%, and 41% in the Southeast, South, Northeast, North, and Central-West regions, respectively. Most studies (32/40) evaluated children (<18 years) and found an average prevalence of 51%. Children also had the highest prevalence in all four regions: Central-West (65%), South (65%), North (58%), Northeast (53%), and Southeast (37%). However, most studies evaluated specific populations, which may have created selection bias. Presumably, this review of intestinal parasitic diseases in Brazil includes the most studies and the largest population ever considered. Conclusions: The prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections is high in Brazil, and anthelmintic drugs should be administered periodically as a prophylactic measure, as recommended by the WHO.

【 授权许可】

CC BY