Cognitive effects of diarrhea, malnutrition, and Entamoeba histolytica infection on school age children in Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Am J Trop Med Hyg
; 74(3): 475-81, 2006 Mar.
Article
in En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-16525109
ABSTRACT
Cognitive function was assessed in 191 Bangladeshi children 6-9 years of age using verbal and nonverbal tests. These scores were added to a health surveillance database that was compiled over the four previous years that includes incidence of diarrhea and Entamoeba histolytica infection and nutritional status. The associations of diarrhea, malnutrition, and social factors with cognitive scores were analyzed statistically, and associations between diarrhea and test scores were controlled for the influence of social factors. Cognitive scores were negatively associated with stunting during school age, as well as the height-for-age and weight-for-age scores at study enrollment. Incidence of diarrhea was associated with nonverbal test scores before, but not after, controlling for socioeconomic factors. Generally E. histolytica infection was not found to independently influence scores, except that E. histolytica-associated dysentery was associated with lower test scores while dysentery of any etiology was not. Thus, malnutrition during the school age years, but not diarrhea or E. histolytica infection, was associated with a lower level of cognitive functioning. This suggested that intervention during school age years may be able to mitigate the cognitive deficiencies associated with malnutrition.
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Collection:
01-internacional
Database:
MEDLINE
Main subject:
Child Nutrition Disorders
/
Cognition
/
Diarrhea
/
Entamoeba histolytica
/
Entamoebiasis
Type of study:
Observational_studies
/
Risk_factors_studies
Limits:
Animals
/
Child
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
Country/Region as subject:
Asia
Language:
En
Journal:
Am J Trop Med Hyg
Year:
2006
Document type:
Article
Affiliation country:
United States