Amewu Emmanuel Kobla Atsu, Amaglo Benedicta, Osei-Poku Priscilla, Abakah Arnold, Koney Shardow Abdul Latif, Wright Lauri, Kwarteng Alexander
Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research in Tropical Medicine, KCCR, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Department of Biochemistry and Biotechnology, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
PLoS One. 2025 Mar 26;20(3):e0320640. doi: 10.1371/journal.pone.0320640. eCollection 2025.
Lymphatic filariasis (LF) is a mosquito-borne neglected tropical disease that causes disfiguring of the affected extremities, often leading to permanent disability and stigma. Described as a disease of poverty, the impact of socioeconomic indicators such as nutrition on LF remains largely unexplored. This cross-sectional study investigates nutritional predictors implicated in the progression of LF using machine learning methods in the Ahanta West Municipality, Ghana. There were 109 participants with a mean age of 50.72±13.8, and three-quarters being females. Only 14 (12.8%) each had comorbidities or LF-related wounds. Nutrition risk assessment showed 70.7% of participants were either malnourished or at risk of being malnourished. The prevalence of anemia was 84.0%. Dietary assessment indicates marked macro- and micronutrient intake with 98.2% protein, 75.2% fat, and 73.4% carbohydrate inadequacies. There were inadequate intakes of minerals: Calcium (100%), Potassium (91.7%) and Zinc (91.7%); and vitamins: Vitamin B12 (81.7%), Vitamin C (75.2%), Niacin (70.6%), and Vitamin B6 (68.8%). The decision tree and random forest models show vitamins C and K and blood pressure as the most important predictors of LF progression. Other predictors include body mass index, anemia, folate, and age. These findings suggest that maintaining healthy blood pressure and adequate intake of vitamins C and K may slow LF progression. This highlights the importance of nutritional intervention and underscores the need for integrated approaches that address nutritional deficiencies and LF management strategies.
淋巴丝虫病（LF）是一种由蚊子传播的被忽视的热带疾病，会导致受影响肢体变形，常常导致永久性残疾和污名化。这种疾病被认为是一种贫困病，营养等社会经济指标对淋巴丝虫病的影响在很大程度上仍未得到充分研究。这项横断面研究在加纳阿汉塔西市使用机器学习方法调查了与淋巴丝虫病进展相关的营养预测因素。共有109名参与者，平均年龄为50.72±13.8岁，四分之三为女性。只有14人（12.8%）患有合并症或与淋巴丝虫病相关的伤口。营养风险评估显示，70.7%的参与者要么营养不良，要么有营养不良的风险。贫血患病率为84.0%。饮食评估表明，大量营养素和微量营养素的摄入量明显不足，蛋白质摄入量不足的比例为98.2%，脂肪为75.2%，碳水化合物为73.4%。矿物质摄入量不足：钙（100%）、钾（91.7%）和锌（91.7%）；维生素摄入量不足：维生素B12（81.7%）、维生素C（75.2%）、烟酸（70.6%）和维生素B6（68.8%）。决策树和随机森林模型显示，维生素C和K以及血压是淋巴丝虫病进展的最重要预测因素。其他预测因素包括体重指数、贫血、叶酸和年龄。这些发现表明，保持健康的血压以及充足摄入维生素C和K可能会减缓淋巴丝虫病的进展。这突出了营养干预的重要性，并强调了需要采取综合方法来解决营养缺乏问题和淋巴丝虫病管理策略。
