Trends and Risk Factors for Leishmaniasis among Reproductive Aged Women in the United States

Authors

  • Chioma A. Ikedionwu Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training, and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030
  • Deepa Dongarwar Center of Excellence in Health Equity, Training, and Research, Baylor College of Medicine, One Baylor Plaza, Houston, TX 77030
  • Courtney Williams College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Evelyn Odeh College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Maylis Peguy Nkeng Peh College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Hilliary Hooker College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Stacey Wiseman College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Tramauni Brock College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Erinn Payne-Green College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Chidinma Chukwudum College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Grace Loudd College of Liberal Arts and Behavioral Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Andrea Shelton College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004
  • Jonnae O. Atkinson Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX, 77098
  • Kiara K. Spooner Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX, 77098
  • Jason L. Salemi Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX, 77098
  • Hamisu M. Salihu Department of Family and Community Medicine, Baylor College of Medicine, 3701 Kirby Drive, Suite 600, Houston, TX, 77098
  • Omonike A. Olaleye College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Texas Southern University, 3100 Cleburne Street, Houston, TX, 77004

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.21106/ijma.478

Keywords:

  • 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.

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Published

2021-07-22
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How to Cite

Ikedionwu, C. A., Dongarwar, D., Williams, C., Odeh, E., Nkeng Peh, M. P., Hooker, H., … Olaleye, O. A. (2021). Trends and Risk Factors for Leishmaniasis among Reproductive Aged Women in the United States. International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS, 10(2), 166–173. https://doi.org/10.21106/ijma.478

Issue

Vol. 10 No. 2 (2021): International Journal of Maternal and Child Health and AIDS

Section

ORIGINAL ARTICLE | LEISHMANIASIS

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.

Creative Commons License

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.