[Toxocariasis and asthma: a relevant association].

See related article on page 126 The article by Figueiredo et al.,1 published in the current issue of Jornal de Pediatria, provides important information about clinical and epidemiological investigation into toxocariasis in the pediatric population. The study analyzes the association of Toxocara canis infection with some variables, such as asthma, cough, recurrent pneumonia, hepatomegaly, and eosinophilia, among others, in infants and children treated at public outpatient clinics of Pediatrics, Immunology and Pneumology. This cross-sectional study was motivated by the diverse clinical manifestations of toxocariasis and its association with asthma. Of 208 patients, 106 were asthmatic. Association measures were established between variables and positive serology for Toxocara canis, considering a p = 0.05 as statistically significant. All of 114 who were seropositive (54.8%) for Toxocara canis received thiabendazole. In 86.6% of cases, infection was subclinical; and 13.4% concerned the visceral larva migrans syndrome (VLMS).