Clinical Features Associated with Strongyloidiasis in Migrants and the Potential Impact of Immunosuppression: A Case Control Study

Abstract

Strongyloides stercoralis is a widely distributed nematode more frequent in tropical areas and particularly severe in immunosuppressed patients. The aim of this study was to determine factors associated with strongyloidiasis in migrants living in a non-endemic area and to assess the response to treatment and follow-up in those diagnosed with the infection. We performed a multicenter case-control study with 158 cases and 294 controls matched 1:2 by a department service. Participants were recruited simultaneously at six hospitals or clinics in Spain. A paired-match analysis was then performed looking for associations and odds ratios in sociodemographic characteristics, pathological background, clinical presentation and analytical details. Cases outcomes after a six-month follow-up visit were also registered and their particularities described. Most cases and controls came from Latin America (63%–47%) or sub-Saharan Africa (26%–35%). The number of years residing in Spain (9.9 vs. 9.8, p = 0.9) and immunosuppression status (30% vs. 36.3%, p = 0.2) were also similar in both groups. Clinical symptoms such as diffuse abdominal pain (21% vs. 13%, p = 0.02), and epigastralgia (29% vs. 18%, p p p S. stercoralis infection, although this association is less evident in immunosuppressed patients. The appropriate follow-up time to evaluate treatment response based on serology titers should be extended beyond 6 months if the cure criteria are not achieved.

Keywords

• <i>Strongyloides stercoralis</i>
• migration
• risk factors
• case-control
• immunosuppression