Parasitic disease in the context of "Renaud Piarroux"

Stunted growth, also known as stunting or linear growth failure, is defined as impaired growth and development manifested by low height-for-age. Stunted growth is often caused by malnutrition, and can also be caused by endogenous factors such as chronic food insecurity or exogenous factors such as parasitic infection. Stunting is largely irreversible if occurring in the first 1000 days from conception to two years of age. The international definition of childhood stunting is a child whose height-for-age value is at least two standard deviations below the median of the World Health Organization's (WHO) Child Growth Standards. Stunted growth is associated with poverty, maternal undernutrition, poor health, frequent illness, or inappropriate feeding practices and care during the early years of life.

Among children under five years of age, the global stunting prevalence declined from 26.3% in 2012 to 22.3% in 2022. It is projected that 19.5% of all children under five will be stunted in 2030. More than 85% of the world's stunted children live in Asia and Africa. Once stunting occurs, its effects are often long-lasting. Stunted children generally do not recover lost height, and they may experience long-term impacts on body composition and overall health.

Antimicrobial resistance (AMR or AR) occurs when microbes evolve mechanisms that protect them from antimicrobials, which are drugs used to treat infections. This resistance affects all classes of microbes, including bacteria (antibiotic resistance), viruses (antiviral resistance), parasites (antiparasitic resistance), and fungi (antifungal resistance). Together, these adaptations fall under the AMR umbrella, posing significant challenges to healthcare worldwide. Misuse and improper management of antimicrobials are primary drivers of this resistance, though it can also occur naturally through genetic mutations and the spread of resistant genes.

Antibiotic resistance, a significant AMR subset, enables bacteria to survive antibiotic treatment, complicating infection management and treatment options. Resistance arises through spontaneous mutation, horizontal gene transfer, and increased selective pressure from antibiotic overuse, both in medicine and agriculture, which accelerates resistance development.

Soil-transmitted helminthiasis is a type of worm infection (helminthiasis) caused by different species of roundworms. It is caused specifically by worms transmitted through soil contaminated with faecal matter and are known as soil-transmitted helminths. Three types of soil-transmitted helminthiasis can be distinguished: ascariasis, hookworm infection and whipworm infection. These three types of infection are therefore caused by the large roundworm A. lumbricoides, the hookworms Necator americanus or Ancylostoma duodenale and by the whipworm Trichuris trichiura.

It has become the most common parasitic disease of humans worldwide. Approximately two billion people (about a fourth of global population) are infected as of the latest estimate, and four billion at risk, surpassing even the all-time most prevalent parasitic disease, malaria. The largest numbers of cases occur in impoverished rural areas of Sub-Saharan Africa, Latin America, Southeast Asia, and China. Its main cause, like for many types of helminth infections, is lack of sanitation, such as the practice of open defecation, lack of hygiene such as hand washing and walking barefoot on contaminated soil. It is regarded as one of the world's most important causes of intellectual and physical retardation.

A non-communicable disease (NCD) is a disease that is not transmissible directly from one person to another. NCDs include Parkinson's disease, autoimmune diseases, strokes, heart diseases, cancers, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, osteoarthritis, osteoporosis, Alzheimer's disease, cataracts, and others. NCDs may be chronic or acute. Most are non-infectious, although there are some non-communicable infectious diseases, such as parasitic diseases in which the parasite's life cycle does not include direct host-to-host transmission.

The four main NCDs that are the leading causes of death globally are cardiovascular disease, cancer, chronic respiratory diseases, and diabetes. NCDs account for seven out of the ten leading causes of death worldwide. Figures given for 2019 are 41 million deaths due to NCDs worldwide. Of these 17.9 million were due to cardiovascular disease; 9.3 million due to cancer; 4.1 million to chronic respiratory diseases, and 2.0 million to diabetes. Over 80% of the deaths from these four groups were premature, not reaching the age of 70.

Antiparasitics are a class of medications which are indicated for the treatment of parasitic diseases, such as those caused by helminths, amoeba, ectoparasites, parasitic fungi, and protozoa, among others. Antiparasitics target the parasitic agents of the infections by destroying them or inhibiting their growth; they are usually effective against a limited number of parasites within a particular class. Antiparasitics are one of the antimicrobial drugs which include antibiotics that target bacteria, and antifungals that target fungi. They may be administered orally, intravenously or topically. Overuse or misuse of antiparasitics can lead to the development of antimicrobial resistance.

Broad-spectrum antiparasitics, analogous to broad-spectrum antibiotics for bacteria, are antiparasitic drugs with efficacy in treating a wide range of parasitic infections caused by parasites from different classes.

Neurocysticercosis (NCC) is a parasitic infection of the nervous system caused by the larvae of the tapeworm Taenia solium, also known as the "pork tapeworm". The disease is primarily transmitted through direct contact with human feces, often through the consumption of food or water containing Taenia solium eggs. These eggs hatch in the small intestine and penetrate the intestinal wall. The larvae can travel to the brain, muscles, eyes, and skin. Neurocysticercosis, caused by Taenia solium larvae, differs from taeniasis, which results from adult tapeworm infection.

Neurocysticercosis manifests with various signs and symptoms, influenced by the location, number of lesions, and immune response. While some people may have no symptoms, others may experience seizures, increased pressure in the skull, cognitive impairment, or specific neurological problems. In severe cases, the condition can be life-threatening.

Pica (/ˈpaɪkə/ PY-kə) is the psychologically compulsive craving or consumption of objects that are not normally intended to be consumed. It is classified as an eating disorder but can also be the result of an existing mental disorder. The ingested or craved substance may be biological, natural, or manmade. The term was drawn directly from the medieval Latin word for magpie, a bird subject to much folklore regarding its opportunistic feeding behaviors.

According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th Edition (DSM-5), pica as a standalone eating disorder must persist for more than one month at an age when eating such objects is considered developmentally inappropriate, not part of culturally sanctioned practice, and sufficiently severe to warrant clinical attention. Pica may lead to intoxication in children, which can result in an impairment of both physical and mental development. In addition, it can cause surgical emergencies to address intestinal obstructions, as well as more subtle symptoms such as nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency, as well as parasitosis. Pica has been linked to other mental disorders. Stressors such as psychological trauma, maternal deprivation, family issues, parental neglect, pregnancy, and a disorganized family structure are risk factors for pica.