Undernutrition, food insecurity, and leprosy in North Gondar Zone, Ethiopia: A case-control study to identify infection risk factors associated with poverty

Puneet Anantharam, Lisa E Emerson, Kassahun D Bilcha, Jessica K Fairley and Annisa B Tesfaye

PLOS Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2021, vol. 15, issue 6, 1-11

Abstract: Background: Ethiopia has over 3,200 new cases of leprosy diagnosed every year. Prevention remains a challenge as transmission pathways are poorly understood. Susceptibility and disease manifestations are highly dependent on individual host-immune response. Nutritional deficiencies, such as protein-energy malnutrition, have been linked to reduced cell-mediated immunity, which in the case of leprosy, could lead to a higher chance of active leprosy and thus an increased reservoir of transmissible infection. Methodology/Principal findings: Between June and August 2018, recently diagnosed patients with leprosy and individuals without known contact with cases were enrolled as controls in North Gondar regional health centers. Participants answered survey questions on biometric data, demographics, socioeconomic situation, and dietary habits. Descriptive statistics, univariate, and multivariate logisitic regression examined associations between undernutrition, specifically body mass index (BMI), middle upper arm circumference (MUAC), and leprosy. Eighty-one participants (40 cases of leprosy, 41 controls) were enrolled (75% male) with an average age of 38.6 years (SD 18.3). The majority of cases were multibacillary (MB) (90%). There was a high prevalence of undernutrition with 24 (29.6%) participants underweight (BMI

Date: 2021
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pntd00:0009456

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pntd.0009456

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