Abstract

Aim: Nowdays, parasitic diseases continue to be a problem especially in the developing countries. Immigration to metropolitan areas has increased the prevalence of parasitic diseases. In our study we aimed to evaluate the children with intestinal parasites who were admitted in our outpatient clinic. Methods: The study population consisted of 131 patients with intestinal parasites. Parents educational and economical status, the number of family members within the house were recorded. The percentile of height for age and weight for age were calculated. The stool samples were evaluated microscopically using adhesive cellophane tape. Complete blood count was done by a hemocounter (XT-2000i-SYSMEX). Results: E. histolytica, E. vermicularis and G.lamblia were the most freguently encountered parasites with 38.16%, 37.40% and 70.61%, respectively. Parasites were mostly encountered in families with >4 family members, low monthly income, low educational status. The frequency of weight for age and height for age <-2 SDS were 6.1% and 7.6%, respectively. Conclusion: Intestinal parasites are stili an important health problem in childhood in our study population. Improvement of socio-economic status and public education will help in solving this problem.