title: Helminth infection does not reduce risk for chronic inflammatory disease in a population-based cohort study.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Parasitic helminth infections can suppress symptoms of allergy, type 1 diabetes, arthritis, and inflammatory bowel disease in animal models. We analyzed data from a large, population-based cohort study to determine whether common childhood enterobiasis protects against these diseases.
  
  
  METHODS
  We collected information on individual prescriptions filled for the drug mebendazole against Enterobius vermicularis for all children born in Denmark 1995-2008 from the National Register of Medicinal Product Statistics (n = 924,749; age 0-14 years); 132,383 of these children (14%) filled a prescription for mebendazole, 102,482 of the children (11%) had a household peer who was registered with a filled mebendazole prescription, and the remaining 689,884 children (75%) comprised the reference group. Children diagnosed with asthma, type 1 diabetes, juvenile arthritis, ulcerative colitis, or Crohn's disease were identified from the National Patient Registry. We used Poisson regression to estimate confounder-adjusted incidence rate ratios for first in- or outpatient hospital diagnosis of chronic inflammatory disease according to history of mebendazole treatment prescribed to children in the study.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Chronic inflammatory disease was diagnosed in 10,352 children during 6.4 million person-years of follow-up. The incidence rate ratios was 1.07 for asthma (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.00-1.13), 1.05 for type 1 diabetes (95% CI: 0.79-1.12), 1.13 for juvenile arthritis (95% CI: 0.94-1.37), 0.77 for ulcerative colitis (95% CI: 0.41-1.46), and 1.44 for Crohn's disease (95% CI: 0.82-2.53). Results were not modified by number of treatments or age at treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Based on a population-based analysis, enterobiasis does not reduce risk for asthma, type 1 diabetes, arthritis, or inflammatory bowel disease.
authors: Statens Serum Institut, Department of Epidemiology Research, Copenhagen S, Denmark. pbg@ssi.dk
authors: Peter
authors: P
authors: Bager
authors: Anne
authors: A
authors: Vinkel Hansen
authors: Jan
authors: J
authors: Wohlfahrt
authors: Mads
authors: M
authors: Melbye
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D000969:Antinematodal Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use; D001171:Arthritis, Juvenile / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D001249:Asthma / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D015331:Cohort Studies; D003093:Colitis, Ulcerative / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003424:Crohn Disease / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D003718:Denmark / Q000453:epidemiology; D003922:Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1 / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000517:prevention & control; D011307:Drug Prescriptions / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017229:Enterobiasis / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000469:parasitology; D004757:Enterobius / Q000472:pathogenicity; D006801:Humans; D015994:Incidence; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D016014:Linear Models; D008463:Mebendazole / Q000627:therapeutic use; D012042:Registries; D018570:Risk Assessment; D012307:Risk Factors; D013997:Time Factors
chemical_list: D000969:Antinematodal Agents; D008463:Mebendazole