Intestinal Parasitic Infections in Patients Attending Gastrointestinal Clinics

Abstract

Background and purpose: Accurate information on clinical and laboratory findings of parasitic diseases in medical centers could be effective in evaluating various aspects of their disease. Therefore, the aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical and preclinical findings of the intestinal parasitic infections in patients in gastrointestinal clinics in Sari, Iran, 2006 to 2015. Materials and methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out using the medical records of 300 cases of gastrointestinal disorders with intestinal parasitic infections. Clinical and laboratory data were collected and analyzed in SPSS V.16. Results: Among the patients with parasitic infections there were 57.7% females, 64.3% lived in rural areas, 81% were married, and 40% were illiterate or had primary school educational levels. The most important parasitic diseases in patients were Giardiasis (44.7%), Amebiasis (12.3%), Enterobiasis (10.6%), Trichostrongylus (10.2%), Strongyloidiasis (9.78%) and, Hymenolepiasis (6.38%). Abdominal pain, bloating, and diarrhea were the most common symptoms. Conclusion: According to this study, intestinal parasitic infection is a high priority for diagnostic purposes in gastrointestinal clinics. Therefore, diagnosis is important for appropriate treatment. Future studies are suggested to use sensitive and specific methods such as molecular methods to identify the parasites.

Keywords

• clinical laboratory techniques
• gastrointestinal
• parasitic