Asma e parasitas intestinais: um estudo transversal em Campina Grande.

Abstract

Asthma and parasitic diseases are of great magnitude worldwide. It has been observed that allergic disorders are very prevalent while parasitic diseases are relatively rare in developed countries. The contrary happens in many developing countries, which has led to the speculation that these facts could be connected through a single phenomenon, termed the '"hygiene hypothesis''. As completion of course work, we projected to make an individuated, observational and cross-sectional study through data collected from the children aged between 2 to 10 years in Pedregal, a neighborhood in the city of Campina Grande, Paraíba, in order to assess the association between asthma and intestinal parasites. The ISAAC (International Study of Asthma and Allergies in Childhood) questionnaire was performed and stool samples were examined using the Kato-Katz and the Ritchie techniques. The sample consisted of 1,195 children, among which 450 (37.7%) were classified in the asthma group according to the criteria of the ISAAC questionnaire wheezing module. Despite the high frequency of intestinal parasites (Entamoeba histolytica, Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura and Giardia lamblia) and wheezing, this study found no statistically significant associations between them (0.066 ≤ p ≤ 0.323) using the chi-square test. Thus, it was not either possible to establish the magnitude of parasites as protection or risk factors. However, this does not exclude the need to investigate possible links between asthma and parasites, considering pathogenesis and peculiarities of the immune response caused by these diseases.