Berrick Otieno|Lynne Elson|Abneel K. Matharu|Naomi Riithi|Esther Chongwo|Khamis Katana|Carophine Nasambu|Francis Mutebi|Herman Feldmeier|Jürgen Krücken|Ulrike Fillinger|Amina Abubakar
Neurocognitive and mental health outcomes in children with tungiasis: a cross-sectional study in rural Kenya and Uganda
Kenya Medical Research Institute|University of Oxford|Kenya Medical Research Institute|Freie Universität Berlin|International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology|International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology|Aga Khan University Nairobi|Kenya Medical Research Institute|Kenya Medical Research Institute|Makerere University|Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin|Freie Universität Berlin|International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology|Kenya Medical Research Institute|Aga Khan University Nairobi
tungiasis neglected tropical parasitosis disproportionately affects children empirical studies reported neurocognitive mental health outcomes children ectoparasitic skin diseases like tungiasis pathophysiology tungiasis suggests could detrimentally affect cognition behaviour study pioneered investigation neurocognitive mental health outcomes children tungiasisthis multisite crosssectional study including 454 quasirandomly sampled schoolchildren aged 814 48 randomly selected schools two counties kenya district uganda participants stratified infected uninfected based presence tungiasis infected classified mild severe infection groups based intensity infection adapted validated standardized measures cognition mental health raven matrices child behaviour checklist used collect data statistical tests including multilevel generalized mixedeffects linear models family link set identity used compare scores uninfected infected children identify potential risk factors neurocognitive behavioural outcomeswhen adjusted covariates mild infection associated lower scores literacy adjusted 89 95 confidence interval ci 172 06 language 17 95 ci 32 03 cognitive flexibility 61 95 ci 104 17 working memory 03 95 ci 06 01 severe infection associated lower scores literacy 110 95 ci 193 28 response inhibition 22 95 ci 42 02 fine motor control 07 95 ci 11 04 numeracy 3 95 ci 55 04this study provides first evidence tungiasis associated poor neurocognitive functioning children since tungiasis chronic disease frequent reinfections negative effects may potentially impair development life achievements