Prevalence of intestinal parasites in Saudi children: a community-based study

Audit of stool analysis results to ensure the prevalence of common types of intestinal parasites in Riyadh region, Saudi Arabia

The objective of the current study was to determine the incidence of common types of parasites encountered in the Central Region of Saudi Arabia. The current study is a retrospective study which includes the results of 10427 stool sample and occult blood sample. The results obtained during last two years (2005-2007), were compared to the earlier reports on parasites in the Central as well as other regions of Saudi Arabia. Attempts were made to find out the cases of increasing and/or decreasing trend of parasite incidence and to locate any differences between the current study results and the earlier reports.

Prevalence of Intestinal Parasites among Patients of Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia

OBJECTIVES

To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites among patients of a tertiary care hospital.

METHODS

A total of 12,054 samples received from the outpatient as well as inpatient departments from January 1, 2004 to December 31, 2009 in Al-Noor Specialist Hospital, Makkah, Saudi Arabia. Stool examinations were performed by direct method and concentrated Techniques for all patients.

RESULTS

Overall, the prevalence of intestinal parasites was 6.2% (740 cases). Majority of patients were infected by Entamoeba histolytica (4.7%) followed by Giardia lamblia (1.3%), while Ankylostoma duodenal (0.02%) exhibited the minimum prevalence. Parasitic infections were more frequent in non-Saudis than Saudis patients (7.1% vs. 5.8%; p<0.05). There was no significant difference between males and females regarding parasitic infections, with a female:male ratio of 1:1.08. There was a higher prevalence in patients under five years of age (9.1%), followed by patients aged 5-14 years (7.5%).

CONCLUSION

The notable finding from this study is the high prevalence of E. histolytica. Overall, parasitic infections were more prevalent in patients under five years of age and in non-Saudi nationals.