title: The public health importance of hookworm disease.
abstract: The public health significance of hookworm disease is briefly reviewed. The latest evidence confirms that blood loss caused by the worms' feeding activity in the gut is a contributing factor in the development of poor iron status leading to iron-deficiency anaemia. The World Health Organization has identified adolescent girls and women of child-bearing age as high-risk groups regarding the impact of hookworm disease. The merits of treating pregnant women with anthelminthic drugs after the first trimester are discussed.
authors.affiliation: WHO Collaborating Centre for Soil-transmitted Helminthiases, Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Scotland.
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Crompton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D018798:Anemia, Iron-Deficiency / Q000209:etiology; D000871:Anthelmintics / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005260:Female; D006725:Hookworm Infections / Q000150:complications / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D011247:Pregnancy; D015597:Pregnancy Complications, Parasitic / Q000188:drug therapy; D011261:Pregnancy Trimester, First; D011634:Public Health; D014944:World Health Organization
chemical_list: D000871:Anthelmintics