[Clinical and epidemiological study of pediculosis capitis in schoolchildren from Coro, Venezuela].

Between March-July 2003, a cross-sectional survey was conducted to investigate clinical and epidemiological data on Pediculus capitis infestation among 327 (175 males and 152 females) primary school age children of an urban sector of Coro city, from the semiarid region of Falcon state, north-western Venezuela. Children were evaluated ectoparasitologically by visual inspections of heads. Overall prevalence was 28.8% (94/327). Pediculosis capitis infestation rates were significantly higher in girls (84.0 vs. 15. 9%) [Odds Ratio (OR) = 11.4; p = 0.0001] and schoolchildren with hair length > 3 cm (OR = 11.0; p = 0.0001), nevertheless these were not significantly different among age groups, races, colour and type of hair (P > 0.05). Among the clinical findings, only head pruritus (18 vs 9.5%), especially at night (19.2% cases), and lymphadenopathy (7.3 vs. 5.5%) mostly located at the cervical region (14.9%), showed significantly higher percentages in infested children than in uninfested ones. Of interest was that lower socioeconomic levels (OR = 2.4; p = 0.02), high levels of overcrowding conditions (> or = 2 persons/bed: OR, 18.4; p = 0. 00001), sharing of combs and brushes (OR = 3.8; p = 0.0001), living with infested people (OR = 2.8; p = 0.0001), and showing previous infestation (OR = 9.5; p = 0.0001), also appeared to be significant factors associated with transmission and maintenance of pediculosis capitis among school children.