Geophagy in Pregnancy: A Test of a Hypothesis

Wiley, Andrea S.; Katz, Solomon H.

doi:10.1086/204769

Cited by 69 publications

(56 citation statements)

References 4 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…An increase in the bioavailability of calcium and lead has occasionally been reported in geophagous individuals. 17,19,25 We were able to rule out induced saturnism, which might have worsened anemia, in our patients (mean blood lead level = 0.22 ± 0.13 μmol/L). We did not determine calcium concentrations.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Plasma and Urinary Aluminum Concentrations in Severely Anemic Geophagous Pregnant Women in the Bas Maroni Region of French Guiana: A Case-Control Study

Lambert¹,

Boukhari²,

Nacher³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The clays consumed by geophagous individuals contain large quantities of aluminum, a known neurological and hematological toxin. This is the first study to evaluate the risk of aluminum poisoning in geophagous individuals. Blind determinations of plasma and urinary aluminum concentrations were carried out in 98 anemic geophagous pregnant women and 85 non-anemic non-geophagous pregnant women. Aluminum concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.0001) in the geophagous anemic women than in the controls, with odds ratios of 6.83 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.72–19.31) for plasma concentrations (13.92 ± 14.09 μg/L versus 4.95 ± 7.11 μg/L) and 5.44 (95% CI = 2.17–14.8) for urinary concentrations (92.83 ± 251.21 μg/L versus 12.11 ± 23 μg/L). The ingested clay is the most likely source of this overexposure to aluminum. If confirmed, the clinical consequences of this absorption for pregnant women and their offspring should be explored.

show abstract

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 62%

Plasma and Urinary Aluminum Concentrations in Severely Anemic Geophagous Pregnant Women in the Bas Maroni Region of French Guiana: A Case-Control Study

Lambert¹,

Boukhari²,

Nacher³

et al. 2010

The American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…The healthfulness of pica continues to be debated. Proponents of pica suggest potential benefits such as mineral supplementation (especially iron and calcium), relief of gastrointestinal distress and detoxification, particularly of plant secondary compounds (Johns, 1999;Profet, 1992;Wiley and Katz, 1998). Others posit a range of harmful effects, including geohelminth infection, caloric displacement, constipation, dental damage, eclampsia, fatigue, hypertension, intestinal blockage, iron deficiency, lead poisoning, peritonitis and, most frequently, anaemia (Halsted, 1968;Key et al, 1982;Rothenberg et al, 1999;Sayetta, 1986).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geophagia is not associated with Trichuris or hookworm transmission in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Young

Goodman

Farag

et al. 2007

Transactions of the Royal Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygi

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

SummaryGeophagia may be harmful as a method for the transmission of geohelminths. In this study, we pose two questions in a representative sample of 970 pregnant women from Pemba Island, Zanzibar, Tanzania. Can consumed earth be a vector for geohelminth infection? And do geophagists have differential parasitic infection? The parasitological content of 59 non-food substance samples was analysed. Cross-sectional data regarding pica behaviour were collected through interviews conducted by local researchers. Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm status was ascertained through Kato-Katz smears. The prevalence of geophagia at baseline was 5.6% and the overall prevalence of Ascaris, Trichuris and hookworm infection was 5.6%, 33.2% and 32.9%, respectively. No consumed soil samples contained infectious parasitic stages, and only one of the consumed pica substances (charcoal) contained parasites of potential risk to human health. Neither the prevalence nor the intensity of infection with Ascaris, Trichuris or hookworm differed significantly by geophagia status. Furthermore, in multivariate models, geophagia was not a significant predictor of helminth infection status. We conclude that geophagia is not a source of Trichuris or hookworm infection among pregnant women in Pemba (insufficient power to evaluate the effect of Ascaris), which is in contrast to existing findings of helminth infection and geophagia. KeywordsPica; Geophagia; Helminthiasis; Pregnancy; Parasites; Zanzibar * Corresponding author. Tel.: +1 607 351 0172; fax: +1 607 255 1033. E-mail address: sly3@cornell.edu (S.L. Young). Authors' contributions: SLY conceived the substudy design, oversaw sample collection, collected ethnographic data and drafted the paper; DG determined sample preservation methods, examined pica samples, interpreted parasitology results and wrote the parasitology methods; THF designed and supervised the parasitological sample collection and analysis, and assisted with data analysis and drafting the paper; SMA assisted with substudy design, researcher training and pica sample collection;

show abstract

“…In the low-income groups, geophagy has been reported to be prevalent among women and children to relieve the pangs of hunger 2 . Wiley and Katz have suggested that the consumption of clay soil serves different functions including relief of gastrointestinal distress at different stages of pregnancy, as well as sup-plementing nutrients (especially iron and calcium in the second and third trimesters of pregnancy 14 . Nausea and vomiting experienced by pregnant women are reported to have been reduced on ingestion of clay soil 3 .…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Geophagy as risk behaviour for gastrointestinal nematode infections among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in a humid tropical zone of Nigeria

et al. 2017

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Background: Geophagy is wide spread among pregnant women in Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Objective: The aim of this study was to assess intestinal nematode infections among geophagous pregnant women in Southern Ebonyi State, Nigeria. Methods: Pregnant women were aged 17-45 years at gestational ages of ≥ 14 to 24 weeks on hospital enrolment were sampled. Data on geophagy was collected using structured questionnaire. Gastrointestinal nematode status of the participants was determined by stool analyses. Soil types ingested were examined for intestinal nematode ova / larvae. Results: The prevalence of geophagy (46.4%) was associated with socio-demographic characteristics. Ascaris lumbricoides and hookworm were associated with geophagy while Trichuris trichiura and Strongyloides stercoralis had no association. Prevalence of A. lumbricoides, T. trichiura and S. stercoralis differed significantly (p<0.05) between geophagous and non-geophagous women. The soil types consumed had eggs / larvae of A. lumbricoides and T. trichiura. Geophagy is a risk behaviour directly associated with A. lumbricoides, hookworm, T. trichiura, and to a lesser extent S. stercoralis infection among pregnant women. Conclusion: Sensitization and mass education of pregnant women on the dangers of geophagy is needed. Furthermore, deworming of pregnant women should be integrated into the healthcare delivery system of the State.

show abstract

Geophagy in Pregnancy: A Test of a Hypothesis

Cited by 69 publications

References 4 publications

Plasma and Urinary Aluminum Concentrations in Severely Anemic Geophagous Pregnant Women in the Bas Maroni Region of French Guiana: A Case-Control Study

Plasma and Urinary Aluminum Concentrations in Severely Anemic Geophagous Pregnant Women in the Bas Maroni Region of French Guiana: A Case-Control Study

Geophagia is not associated with Trichuris or hookworm transmission in Zanzibar, Tanzania

Geophagy as risk behaviour for gastrointestinal nematode infections among pregnant women attending antenatal clinics in a humid tropical zone of Nigeria

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About