Perbandingan Fungsi Kognitif Anak Penderita Soil Transmitted Helminths dengan Anak yang Tidak Penderita Soil Transmitted Helminths di Sekolah Dasar Panti Asuhan Al-Jam'iyatul Washliyah Pulo Brayan Medan

Abstract

Soil Transmitted Helminths (STH) is a group of intestinal nematodes that transmitted through soil and its life cycle needs soil for the maturation process, so it changes from a non-infective stage into the infective stage. The most commonly STH found nowadays are Ascaris lumbricoides, Trichuris trichiura, Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale. The effects of STH infections are such as anemia, malabsorption, micronutrients deficiency, loss of appetite, diarrhea and dysentery, as well as the decline in cognitive function and learning achievement of children in school. The aim of research is to compare the cognitive function of children with STH and children without STH in Primary School Orphanage Al-Jam'iyatul Washliyah Pulo Brayan Medan. This study used cross sectional design. The stool examination was carried out to 142 children. The result shows that the prevalence of STH was 64.8%. The cognitive function tests of children with STH have less value category. The highest numbers of STH was 37,5 % with Borderline IQ category and the lowest were Average with IQ category as much as 18.8%. Otherwise, the highest numbers were patients consist in Average IQ category as much as 43,8%. By using the Mann-Whitney test, it was found that the value of p = 0.021, there was a relationship between worm infection status with the children IQ category. The deworming medication needs to be done regularly to the elementary school children by the Department of Health to reduce the prevalence of helminth infections and as the prevention in order to avoid the decline in cogniitive function of elementary school children, it is also needed to do the counseling for elementary school children about the worm and the clean and healthy behavior.