title: Wheeze, allergic sensitization and geohelminth infection in Butajira, Ethiopia.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The effect of geohelminth infection on wheeze and allergen sensitization is inconsistent across different epidemiological studies.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the association between self-reported wheeze, self-reported asthma, allergic sensitization and geohelminth infection in urban and rural areas of Butajira, southern Ethiopia.
  
  
  METHODS
  Questionnaire data on wheeze, asthma and a range of confounding variables was gathered in a cross-sectional study of 7649 people aged 5 years or more from the Butajira Rural Health Project database. Allergic skin sensitization to Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus and cockroach was measured, and a stool sample collected for qualitative and quantitative geohelminth analysis.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Wheeze was weakly associated with allergic sensitization to D. pteronyssinus and cockroach (odds ratios (OR) 1.21, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.98-1.51, and 1.27, 95% CI 1.00-1.62, respectively). Self-reported asthma was related to sensitization to D. pteronyssinus only (OR 4.09, 95% CI 2.86-5.84). Geohelminths were present in 33.8% of participants, and the median egg load in infested individuals was 6 eggs/g. Overall, presence of any geohelminths was associated with a diminished risk of cockroach sensitization (adjusted OR 0.82, 95% CI 0.68-0.99) but there were no significant protective effects of any geohelminth infection against wheeze or asthma.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  In a developing country community with relatively low geohelminth prevalence and intensity, we found weak association between allergic sensitization and wheeze, but no evidence of a protective effect of geohelminths against wheeze or asthma.
authors.affiliation: Addis Ababa University, 1000 Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. nerurkar@telecom.net.et
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Venn
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Belete
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Berhane
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Britton
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D000485:Allergens / Q000276:immunology; D000818:Animals; D001200:Ascaris / Q000276:immunology; D001249:Asthma / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D003058:Cockroaches / Q000276:immunology; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D040002:Dermatophagoides pteronyssinus / Q000276:immunology; D005002:Ethiopia / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006373:Helminthiasis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology / Q000382:microbiology; D006798:Housing; D006801:Humans; D048189:Hymenolepis nana / Q000276:immunology; D006967:Hypersensitivity / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000276:immunology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D016017:Odds Ratio; D012135:Respiratory Sounds; D012424:Rural Population; D017678:Sex Distribution; D012907:Smoking / Q000009:adverse effects; D014258:Trichuris / Q000276:immunology; D014505:Urban Population
chemical_list: D000485:Allergens