| RESEARCH ARTICLE |
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| Year : 2021 | Volume
: 58
| Issue : 3 | Page : 240-245 |
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Correlated prevalence of hydrocele and microfilaremia in Amazon (Belém, 1951-2005)
Dilma Costa de Oliveira Neves1, Habib Fraiha-Neto2, Ana de Nazaré Martins da Silva2, Yara Lúcia Lins Jennings2, Ana Paula Martins da Silva2, Cristina Nunes2, Roberta Nice Sodré2, Cláudio Eduardo Corrêa Teixeira3
1 Centro Universitário do Estado do Pará, Av. Almirante Barroso, 3775 - Souza - 66013-903 - Belém; Universidade Federal do Pará, Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Av. Generalíssimo Deodoro, 92 – Umarizal - 66055-240 - Belém, Pará, Brazil
2 Universidade Federal do Pará, Núcleo de Medicina Tropical, Av. Generalíssimo Deodoro, 92 – Umarizal - 66055-240 - Belém, Pará, Brazil
3 Centro Universitário do Estado do Pará, Av. Almirante Barroso, 3775 - Souza - 66013-903 - Belém, Pará, Brazil
Correspondence Address:
Cláudio Eduardo Corrêa Teixeira
Centro Universitário do Estado do Pará, Av. Almirante Barroso, 3775 - Souza - 66013-903 - Belém, Pará
Brazil
 Source of Support: None, Conflict of Interest: None  | Check |
DOI: 10.4103/0972-9062.321756
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Background & objectives: For decades, the city of Belém in Brazil’s eastern Amazon was the second city in the country with highest prevalence of cases of filariasis due to Wuchereria bancrofti infection. However, this prevalence decreased over time until reaching null records, concomitantly with a decrease in frequency of recorded hydrocele cases. In this context, we analyzed cross-sectional data to evaluate the degree of correlation between prevalence of positive blood microfilariae results during surveillance screening occurred along 54 years (1951–2005) and prevalence of hydrocele cases recorded in the same time period.
Methods: The dataset regarding hydrocele cases was obtained from two local hospitals. The Endemic Diseases Control Division of the Health Surveillance Department of the Municipal Health Department of Belém provided dataset regarding positive blood microfilariae cases. Prevalence calculus and linear correlation statistics were performed.
Results: Both positive blood microfilariae and hydrocele cases are well correlated statistically in absolute frequency (r = 0.871, 95%CI = 0.788 to 0.923, R2 = 0.759, p < 0.0001) and in prevalence (r = 0.835, 95%CI = 0.732 to 0.901, R2 = 0.698, p < 0.0001).
Interpretation & conclusion: We have concluded that blood microfilariae detection and hospitalized hydrocele cases are well correlated in our dataset. In addition, these results support the hypothesis that hydrocele prevalence can be useful to filariasis surveillance and control in endemic areas. However, limitations to hydrocele prevalence as an epidemiological indicator of filariasis are evidenced. |
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