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[Cryptosporidiosis and persistent diarrhea]

A F Cantalice Neto1, M do C Zim, R S Machado

  • 1Fundação Faculdade Federal de Ciências Médicas de Porto Alegre (FFFCMPA), Porto Alegre, RS, Brazil.

Jornal De Pediatria
|December 20, 2003
PubMed

Insights

Cryptosporidiosis is common in young children experiencing persistent diarrhea. However, infected children showed similar clinical outcomes and treatment responses compared to uninfected children.

Area of Science:

  • Pediatric infectious diseases
  • Gastroenterology
  • Parasitology

Background:

  • Persistent diarrhea in children is a significant health concern.
  • Cryptosporidiosis is a known cause of diarrhea, but its prevalence in persistent cases needs further investigation.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the incidence of Cryptosporidium infection in infants with persistent diarrhea.
  • To compare clinical and laboratory findings between Cryptosporidium-infected and non-infected children.

Main Methods:

  • A retrospective study was conducted on 70 infants under two years old with persistent diarrhea, excluding HIV and other causes.
  • Data collected included diarrhea duration, hospitalization, nutritional status, and d-xylose test results.

Main Results:

  • Cryptosporidium was detected in 14% (20%) of infants, particularly those under three months old (23%).
  • Malnutrition was prevalent in 91.5% of all patients, with similar rates in infected and non-infected groups.
  • A tendency towards underdosing xylose tests was observed in infected infants, especially within the first year of life.

Conclusions:

  • Cryptosporidiosis is a frequent finding in infants with persistent diarrhea.
  • Despite its prevalence, Cryptosporidium infection did not significantly alter clinical presentation, prognosis, or therapeutic characteristics compared to other causes.

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