Study Population
From March 2020 to April 2021,
135 patients from Changde, including 84 chronic and 51 advanced ones
were included and 24 healthy volunteers were included as the control
group. Changde, a city near Dongting Lake, has long been the epicenter
of Schistosoma japonica outbreaks. Changde was the first place in China
where Schistosoma japonicum was found, and even after considerable
treatment by the government, a large number of Schistosoma patients
still exist. Informed consent was obtained for each patient, and the
study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of Third Xiangya
Hospital, Central South University (No. 21149).