The potential long-term effect of previous schistosome infection reduces the risk of metabolic syndrome among Chinese men.

ABSTRACT

The association between potential long-term effects of previous schistosome infection (PSI) and the development of metabolic syndrome remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the association between them. Participants were from regions which were all reportedly heavily endemic for S. japonicum in China 40 years ago. One thousand five hundred and ninety-seven men were enrolled. Among these, 465 patients with PSI were selected as study subjects and 1132 subjects served as controls. We found PSI significantly correlated with lower prevalences of metabolic syndrome and its components, including central obesity, hypertriglyceridemia and low high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, which indicates that the potential long-term effects of PSI may reduce the risk of metabolic syndrome. However, further studies are needed to investigate the protective immune effects of PSI.