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Albendazole improves stamina of women farmers with hookworm
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One dose of albendazole improved the stamina of women farmers with hookworm in sub-Saharan Africa, according to researchers.
The findings, published in The American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene, suggest that albendazole can improve work capacity for these women, whose families depend on their output for sustenance.
“This beneficial effect could be especially important in the food-challenged regions of Africa, where a large portion of farmers are women and their capacity for growing crops and tending to livestock can determine whether their families eat or go hungry,” researcher and emergency medicine specialist Margaret Salmon, MD, MPH, who is director the nonprofit InnovationsCZ, said in a news release.
According to the CDC, hookworms are found in soil contaminated with human sewage used as fertilizer. They feed on blood in the host’s intestines and can cause diseases including anemia. That, in turn, can cause the fatigue that cuts into a farm worker’s vital production, Salmon and colleagues noted.
To determine how albendazole might alleviate fatigue, the researchers recruited 250 women farmers through two Safe Motherhood Action Groups, which seek to improve the health of women, as well as men and children, in local communities. The study included women who were part of these groups operating near Kindu in the Democratic Republic of Congo.
All the women were tested for hookworm and took a stair-stepping aerobic exercise test. The participants’ heart rates, in beats per minute, were measure before and after 3 minutes of stair-stepping.
The participants were then randomly assigned to receive either a 400-mg dose of albendazole or a placebo. Seven months later, the women took the stair-stepping test again.
The researchers found that the heart rates of women who had hookworm and received albendazole decreased by 9.744 beats per minute (95% CI, 6.42-13.07). Women who had hookworm and received the placebo had what the researchers called a nonsignificant decrease of .034 beats per minute.
The researchers said that, although the results show improved aerobic stamina, further studies are needed to determine the best policy for treating hookworm on a large scale. Concerns include, among others, options for pregnant women. Albendazole is not currently recommended for women in their first trimester of pregnancy.
Regina Rabinovich, MD, MPH, president of the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene and a scholar in residence at the Harvard University T.H. Chan School of Public Health, said in a press release that more studies are needed to help guide hookworm treatment policy.
“These scientists conducted a complicated study in very challenging conditions and emerged with critically important evidence that could improve treatment for a badly neglected tropical disease,” said Rabinovich, who was not involved in the study. “It’s very important to follow up on their findings with additional studies that can help inform decisions about the best way to drive down the burden of hookworm in places like the Democratic Republic of Congo.” – by Joe Green
Disclosures: The authors report no relevant financial disclosures.
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