Trends and Risk Factors for Leishmaniasis among Reproductive Aged Women in the United States
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.21106/ijma.478Keywords:
- Leishmaniasis,
- United States,
- Women,
- Healthcare Disparities,
- Minority Health,
- Reproductive Aged,
- HCUP NIS
Abstract
Background and Objective: Leishmaniasis, a neglected tropical disease, is endemic in several regions globally, but commonly regarded as a disease of travelers in the United States (US). The literature on leishmaniasis among hospitalized women in the US is very limited. The aim of this study was to explore trends and risk factors for leishmaniasis among hospitalized women of reproductive age within the US.
Methods: We analyzed hospital admissions data from the 2002-2017 Nationwide Inpatient Sample among women aged 15-49 years. We conducted descriptive statistics and bivariate analyses for factors associated with leishmaniasis. Utilizing logistic regression, we assessed the association between sociodemographic and hospital characteristics with leishmaniasis disease among hospitalized women of reproductive age in the US. Joinpoint regression was used to examine trends over time.
Results: We analyzed 131,529,239 hospitalizations; among these, 207 cases of leishmaniasis hospitalizations were identified, equivalent to an overall prevalence of 1.57 cases per million during the study period. The prevalence of leishmaniasis was greatest among older women of reproductive age (35-49 years), Hispanics, those with Medicare, and inpatient stay in large teaching hospitals in the Northeast of the US. Hispanic women experienced a statistically significant increased odds of leishmaniasis diagnosis (OR, 1.80; 95% CI, 1.19-4.06), compared to Non-Hispanic (NH) White women. Medicaid and Private Insurance appeared to serve as a protective factor in both unadjusted and adjusted models. We did not observe a statistically significant change in leishmaniasis rates over the study period.
Conclusion and Global Health Implications: Although the prevalence of leishmaniasis among women of reproductive age appears to be low in the US, some risk remains. Thus, appropriate educational, public health and policy initiatives are needed to increase clinical awareness and timely diagnosis/treatment of the disease.
Downloads
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Zenab I. Yusuf, Deepa Dongarwar, Rafeek A Yusuf, Meishon Bell, Toi Harris Harris, Hamisu M. Salihu, Social Determinants of Overweight and Obesity Among Children in the United States , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Amina Abdullahi, Hassan Adam Murtala, Aisha Adam Abdullahi, Amina Aminu, Muktar H. Aliyu, Sani H. Aliyu, Ololade D. Adeyemi, Deepa Dongarwar, Jordi B. Torrelles, Gambo Aliyu, Hamisu M. Salihu, Drivers of Human Immunodeficiency Virus among Pregnant Women in Conflict and Non-conflict Zones of Nigeria , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 14 No. Continuous (2025): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Trevor D. Hadley, Rowland W. Pettit, Tahir Malik, Amelia A. Khoei, Hamisu M. Salihu, Artificial Intelligence in Global Health —A Framework and Strategy for Adoption and Sustainability , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Devon Madelyn Rupley, Deepa Dongarwar, Hamisu M. Salihu, Allison M. Janda, Rachel Pope, Healthcare Access as a Risk-Marker for Obstetric Vesicovaginal Fistula in Malawi , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Chioma A Ikedionwu, Deepa Dongarwar, Korede K. Yusuf, Sitratullah O. Maiyegun, Sahra Ibrahimi, Hamisu M. Salihu, Using Nominal Group Technique to Elucidate a COVID-19 Research Agenda for Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Populations , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 3 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hamisu M. Salih, Deepa Dongarwar, Muktar H. Aliyu, Romuladus E. Azuine, Global Ranking of COVID-19-Related Mortality by Country using a Novel Pandemic Efficiency Index (PEI) , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 2 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Comfort Z. Olorunsaiye, Korede K. Yusuf, Kylie Reinhart, Hamisu M. Salihu, COVID-19 and Child Vaccination: A Systematic Approach to Closing the Immunization Gap , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 3 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hadiza Galadanci, Deepa Dongarwar, Wolfgang Künzel, Oladapo Shittu, Murtala Yusuf, Sadiq Abdurrahman, Dolapo Lufadeju, Hamisu M. Salihu, Cesarean Section and Maternal-fetal Mortality Rates in Nigeria: An Ecological Lens into the Last Decade , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 9 No. 1 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hamisu M. Salihu, Ronee E. Wilson, Lindsey M. King, Phillip J. Marty, Valerie E. Whiteman, Socio-ecological Model as a Framework for Overcoming Barriers and Challenges in Randomized Control Trials in Minority and Underserved Communities , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 3 No. 1 (2015): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Veronica B. Ajewole-Mwema, Nkechi U. Ogboh, Dolores Ramirez, Olanike A. Shamonda, Kassie L. Thompson, Sneha George, Deepa Dongarwar, Polly Niravath, Mobile Mammography Outreach in Communities with Unmet Health Needs: Assessment of Appointment Outcomes and Operational Insights from Texas, United States , International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS: Vol. 14 No. Continuous (2025): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
Similar Articles
- Charles Chibuisi Ehiemere, Ishaku Adamu Akyala, Bisayo Adetuyi Ogundipe, Chukwuebuka Clement Nri-Ezedi, Peter Joseph Anzaku, Waryit Esther Yonah, Efe Mary Imokhai, Isaac Onyebuchi Okohu, Idowu Olapemi Makinde, Ngozi Miriam Chimzobam-Nnalue, Beyond Access: Behavior Change and Gendered Realities in the Adoption of Digital Health Tools for Maternal, Newborn, and Child Health in Nigeria , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Maria Vigil-Mallette, Daryle Pickens, Julliet Ogu, Deepa Dongarwar, Elizabeth Onugha, Hamisu M Salihu, Fifth Annual Summer Research Summit on Health Equity Organized by the Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA on May 17, 2022 , Vol. 11 No. S2 (2022): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Océane J. Parker, Duc Minh Duong, Thuy Thu Nguyen, Vui Thi Le, Utilization of Sexual and Reproductive Healthcare Services Among Young Women in Two Districts of Hanoi, Vietnam , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Wah Wah Myint, Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV) Knowledge and Stigma: Findings from a Cross-sectional Survey , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Margaret Omowaleola Akinwaare, Jonah Musa, Chizoma Millicent Ndikom, Determinants of Digitalized Antenatal Education Use among Pregnant Women Living with Human Immunodeficiency Virus in Nigeria , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Amol Jamkhande, Bhagyashree P. Agre, Neelam Gavali, Anjali Rajesh Gaikwad, Sanpreet Singh Sachdev, Association Between Maternal Periodontitis and Preterm Low Birth Weight in Indian Populations: A Literature Review , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Deepa Dongarwar, Toi B. Harris, Hamisu M. Salihu, Fourth Annual Summer Research Summit on Health Equity Organized by the Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA on May 20, 2021 , Vol. 10 No. S3 (2021): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Gopal K. Singh, Gem P. Daus, Michelle Allender, Christine T. Ramey, Elijah K. Martin, Chrisp Perry, Andrew A. De Los Reyes, Ivy P. Vedamuthu, Social Determinants of Health in the United States: Addressing Major Health Inequality Trends for the Nation, 1935-2016 , Vol. 6 No. 2 (2017): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Innocent Anayochukwu Ugwu, Calistus Obiora Nevo, Malachy Nwaeze Ezenwaeze, Antenatal Care Utilization and Delivery Location: Evidence from Postpartum Women in Enugu, South East Nigeria , Vol. 15 (2026): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
- Hamisu M. Salihu, Deepa Dongarwar, Toi B. Harris, Third Annual Summer Research Summit on Health Equity Organized by the Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030, USA on June 9, 2020: ABSTRACT: Advancing Health Equity Through Innovation , Vol. 9 No. S3 (2020): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright © 2021 Chioma A. Ikedionwu, Deepa Dongarwar, Courtney Williams, Evelyn Odeh, Maylis Peguy Nkeng Peh, Hilliary Hooker, Stacey Wiseman, Tramauni Brock, Erinn Payne-Green, Chidinma Chukwudum, Grace Loudd, Andrea Shelton, Jonnae O. Atkinson, Kiara K. Spooner, Jason L. Salemi, Hamisu M. Salihu, Omonike A. Olaleye. Published by Global Health and Education Projects, Inc., USA.
This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License , which permits others to remix, transform, and build upon the work non-commercially, provided the original author is credited and the new creations are licensed under the same terms.