Intestinal parasitic infection among Egyptian children with chronic liver diseases

Abstract

Patients with chronic liver diseases (CLD) are often highly susceptible to parasitic infection due to a depressed immune system. The objective of this study was to detect the most commonly intestinal parasites found among Egyptian children with CLD. The present study was conducted on 50 children with CLD of different etiology (25 were having different intestinal symptoms, 25 without intestinal symptoms) and 50 non-CLD children with gastrointestinal complaints served as controls. All cases were subjected to stool examination and investigated by liver function tests. Also, anthropometric measurements were taken for all children including weight and height. It was found that the most commonly intestinal protozoa identified in the patients with CLD in order of frequency were: Entamoeba histolytica/Entamoeba dispar (16 %), Giardia lamblia (14 %), Blastocystis hominis (14 %), Cryptosporidium parvum (10 %), E. histolytica and G. lamblia (2 %), E. histolytica and B. hominis (2 %), G. lamblia and B. hominis (2 %), B. hominis and Entamoeba coli (2 %), Microsporidium (2 %) and no cases were found infected with Strongyloides stercoralis. As compared to the controls, the observed incidence of these organisms in CLD patients was significantly higher (p \ 0.045) as regards stool examination by unstained techniques while, there was no significant difference between both groups as regards stool examination by stained techniques (p \ 0.478). In addition, this study showed that the weight and height of studied patients were affected by parasitic infection while, there was no significant correlation between parasitic infection and liver function tests. In conclusion, chronic liver diseases affect the immunity of the patients as shown in significant increase in the incidence of intestinal parasites in cases compared to controls.

The Efficacy of Three Medicinal Plants ; Garlic , Ginger and Mirazid and a Chemical Drug Metronidazole against Cryptosporidium Parvum : Ii- Histological Changes

“…The validity test of ELISA declared sensitivity and specificity with 93.3% and 90% while IFA declared 90.9% and 91.1% respectively. El-Shazly et al (2015) in Egypt examined 50 children with the chronic liver diseases (CLD) of different etiology and 50 non-CLD children with gastrointestinal complaints served as controls. They found the commonest intestinal protozoa in CLD patients were: Entamoeba histolytica/E.…”

The Impact of Intestinal Parasitic Infections on the Health Status of Children: An Overview

“…The prevalence of intestinal amebiasis in children with bloody diarrhea varies from 14.9 to 16%. 5,17 Also, the frequency of B. hominis among diarrheic children was 14%. 5 Other intestinal protozoa, Cyclospora cayetanensis and Isospora belli, are the major causes of uncontrollable debilitating diarrhea in developing countries.…”

“…Cryptosporidiosis has been documented in approximately 10 to 16.7% of diarrheic children. 3,5 Cryptosporidium-infected children with persistent diarrhea develop worsening malnutrition, which may result in cognitive and fitness problems that persist for years. 13,14 Giardiasis is the most common small intestinal protozoal infection that is found worldwide.…”

“…In Egyptian literature, there are several studies performed to determine the prevalence of intestinal parasitosis among Egyptian children with rates of infection from 10 to 50% or higher. [3][4][5] In an urban slum of Karachi, Pakistan, the prevalence of IPIs was estimated to be 52.8%. 1 In Turkey, 31% of school children were found to be infected with at least one intestinal parasite.…”

Biochemical Markers of the Functional State of the Liver during Giardiasis

“…Внаслідок розмноження лямблій у кишечнику, особливо при нераціональному харчуванні, різко змінюється мікробний пейзаж кишечника. З іншого боку, пацієнти з хронічними захворюваннями печінки часто дуже чутливі до паразитарних інвазій із-за зниження активності імунної системи [1,3,4].…”