Deworming drugs for soil-transmitted intestinal worms in children: Effects on nutritional indicators, haemoglobin, and school performance

Abstract

Treating children diagnosed with soil-transmitted helminth infections may increase weight gain over a period of one to six months. However, a single dose of deworming drugs given to all children living in endemic areas, even in settings with high prevalence, likely has little or no effect on weight gain, average hemoglobin, or average cognition. Similarly, regular treatment with deworming drugs given every three to six months probably has little or no effect on average weight gain, height, hemoglobin, cognition, school performance, or mortality. While one trial from a low prevalence setting in 1995 found an increase in weight with regular deworming treatment, nine trials carried out since then found no effect. There is very limited evidence assessing an effect on school attendance and the findings are inconsistent, and at risk of bias. – AI-generated abstract.