Estimating Disability from Schistosomiasis Japonica
Author Information
Author(s): Charles H. King, Juerg Utzinger
Primary Institution: Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine
Hypothesis
How debilitating is schistosomiasis for an average person?
Conclusion
The study found that schistosomiasis japonica causes a significantly higher disability impact than previously estimated.
Supporting Evidence
- The study found 9.8% disability for children and 18.6% for adults with schistosomiasis japonica.
- These estimates are significantly higher than the previous 0.5%–0.6% disability weight assigned by the GBD program.
- The findings align with recent assessments of chronic schistosomiasis japonica in China.
Takeaway
Schistosomiasis can make people very sick and tired, much more than we thought before.
Methodology
The study used a decision tree model to assess disease impact separately for children and adults based on existing literature.
Potential Biases
The original GBD program's assessments may have undervalued the impact of schistosomiasis due to reliance on non-expert panels.
Limitations
The analysis is limited to S. japonicum-related disease outcomes and has gaps in available data for certain infection-related outcomes.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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