[Factors associated with trachoma in a low-endemic area in southeast Brazil]

A case-control study matched by age and school (n=121 pairs) was carried out among pre-elementary and elementary students from low-income families living in Greater Metropolitan São Paulo, Brazil, with the objective of investigating factors associated with trachoma in a low prevalence area. The case definition for trachoma was that proposed by the World Health Organization. The dependent variable was trachoma and the independent variables were social stratum, housing of migrants from endemic areas, facial hygiene habits, head of family's schooling, access to potable water, contact with another case in the family, and slum residence. Unadjusted and adjusted odds ratios (OR), with their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI), were estimated by conditional logistic regression. In the multivariate analysis, belonging to the poorest social stratum (OR = 8.21; 95%CI: 1.50-44.81), housing people from endemic areas (OR = 2.44; 95%CI: 1.10-5.46), contact with another case in the family (OR = 2.52; 95%CI: 0.98-6.48), and facial hygiene habits (OR = 0.50; 95%CI: 0.26-0.98) were independently associated with trachoma.