ASSESSMENT OF BODY HYDRATION IN SUBJECTS WITH SCHISTOSOMIASIS

Total body water (TEW) was measured by deuterium oxide dilution (D2O) and predicted by bioelectric impedance analysis (BIA) (Deurenberg, Sch outen, Andreoli and De Lorenzo 1993) in 21 subjects with Schistosoma m ansoni infection and 17 healthy controls of similar age (32.8 +/- 13.7 years, n = 38). Patients were selected to have no visible fluid reten tion and no cardiac or renal abnormalities. Body hydration (TEW per kg of body weight) was significantly higher in patients with schistosomi asis than in controls (62.9 +/- 3.6 vs 57.4 +/- 4.3%, p < 0.0005). A s ignificant correlation was found between albumin levels and TBW% on th e pooled sample (n = 38; r = 0.660, p < 0.0001). This relationship was not influenced by the presence of disease, as determined by ANCOVA. V alues of TEW predicted by BLA were highly correlated and not significa ntly different (p = n.s., ANOVA) from those measured by D2O in both co ntrols and patients (r = 0.854, p < 0.001, SEE = 2.31, CV = 5.9% and r = 0.848, p < 0.001, SEE = 4.01, CV = 9.3%, respectively). The bias (T EW by BIA - TEW by D2O) was of 0.9 +/- 3.71 in controls and of -1.3 +/ - 4.21 in patients. This bias was significantly correlated to TBW% in patients (r = 0.575, p < 0.05) but not in controls (p = n.s.). It is c oncluded that subjects with schistosomiasis show an apparent subclinic al increase in body hydration which could affect the prediction of TEW from BIA.