Wh. Makunde et al., Clinical and parasitological aspects of itching caused by onchocerciasis in Morogoro, Tanzania, ANN TROP M, 94(8), 2000, pp. 793-799
Citations number
21
Categorie Soggetti
Envirnomentale Medicine & Public Health","Medical Research General Topics
A clinical and parasitological assessment of onchodermatitis was conducted
in a rural area of Morogoro district, Tanzania. The study population consis
ted of 1005 individuals aged greater than or equal to5 years: 749 from a hy
per-endemic community and 256 from a hypo-endemic. The prevalence of troubl
esome itching was 67.0% in the hyper-endemic community but only 5% (13/256)
in the hypo-endemic. The corresponding prevalences of nodules among the ad
ult male subjects were 77.7% (171/220) and 2.3% (2/86). The most common onc
hocercal skin lesion in the hyper-endemic community was chronic papular onc
hodermatitis (CPOD) manifested by itching, which was often very severe. The
re was a strong association between skin itching and endemicity (r = 0.75;
P<0.001). The prevalence of CPOD in the hyper-endemic community was signifi
cantly higher in males than females (P<0.001). CPOD was only observed in su
bjects aged greater than or equal to7 years. Many of the subjects were chec
ked for microfilaridermia, by skin-snipping. The prevalence of microfilarid
ermia [58.2% (393/675) v. 6.2% (3/48)] and its geometric mean intensity (8.
9 v. 1.0 microfilariae/mg skin snip) were both higher in the hyper-endemic
community than the hypo-endemic. Itching appears to be related to reactive
onchodermatitis.