Anemia and Other Blood Symptoms Related Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis: An Internet Approach of Systematic Literature Study Reported Across Indonesia

Background/Aim: Soil Transmitted Helminthiasis (STH) is still a global major problem, affecting billion vulnerable people of marginalized and unfortunate communities from low to middle level social economic countries. Poor personal hygiene and sanitary practice facilitates its transmission. Children and pregnant women are the most vulnerable group. It causes spectrum of clinical conditions from completely asymptomatic to severe, but anemia and nutritional derangement are the most prominent. Anemia related STH itself was already a huge problem, especially when affected susceptible individuals. In the internet, the data on Indonesia’s prevalence of anemia and other blood symptom related STH with its contributing factors are always considered sparse and incomplete. The aim of this systematic literature study was to provide that data by doing the internet literature searching on Indonesia’s electronic data regarding this condition.

Methods: A systematic review was done using popular search engine in the internet. All kind of research study, no matter the design (cross sectional, case control or prospective cohort), that fit with inclusion criteria which is anemia or other blood related symptoms (e.g. eosinophilia) related to STH were included.

Result: There were 37 studies found on this issues, from 2001 until 2020. Most studies reported anemia that developed during the course of the disease with the clinical spectrum varies from asymptomatic to severe form.