Frequency of intestinal parasites in children with diarrhea applying to some health institutions in Iğdır

This study was conducted to determine the frequency of intestinal parasites in children who applied to health centers with the complaint of diarrhea in Iğdır province and to reveal the importance of these parasites. The study was carried out on children between the ages of 1-16 who applied to Iğdır State Hospital and Private Bulut Hospital between December 2019 and February 2020 with the complaint of diarrhea. In the study, a total of 300 children, 141 of whom were girls and 159 were boys; the control group was composed of a total of 100 children, 50 of whom were girls and 50 were boys without any chronic disease and diarrhea. Stool samples were evaluated by native-Lugol method and modified acid-fast staining method. Intestinal parasite positivity was found in 35% of 300 children in the patient group and 17% of 100 children in the control group. In terms of parasitic positivity, a statistically significant difference was found between children with diarrhea and the healthy control group (p = 0.001). The highest rate of Blastocystis hominis (13%), the lowest rate of Giardia intestinalis (2%) was found in the patient group, and 3% Cryptosporidium spp. was determined. Intestinal parasitic positivity was found in 40.4% of the girls in the patient group, 30.2% of the boys, 20% of the girls in the control group and 14% of the boys. When evaluated statistically, there was a significant difference (male comparison: p = 0.008; girls comparison: p = 0.004) as a result of comparison of the patient group and control group genders. In the relationship between the frequency of parasites and some living conditions of the patients, a statistically significant relationship was found in the comparison of "whether or not livestock" (p = 0.004) and "whether there is a sewerage network" (p = 0.002). A significant difference was found between parasitic positivity and abdominal pain (p = 0.008) and nausea (p = 0.003). As a result; it was concluded that children with clinical symptoms such as diarrhea, abdominal pain and nausea should be evaluated for intestinal parasites. In addition, it has been understood that intestinal parasites are still an important health problem in the pediatric age group.