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Parasitic etiology of childhood diarrhea

Ogunlesi Tinuade1, Okeniyi John, Oseni Saheed

  • 1Wesley Guild Hospital, Ilesa, Nigeria. tinuade_ogunlesi@yahoo.co.uk

Indian Journal of Pediatrics
|January 5, 2007
PubMed

Insights

Parasitic infections are common in Nigerian children under five experiencing diarrhea. Malnutrition and lower socioeconomic status are significant risk factors for these parasitic infestations.

Area of Science:

  • Medical Parasitology
  • Pediatric Infectious Diseases
  • Public Health

Background:

  • Diarrhea remains a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in children under five globally.
  • Parasitic infections are a significant, yet often overlooked, contributor to childhood diarrhea, particularly in resource-limited settings.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To determine the prevalence of parasitic agents causing diarrhea in under-five children in Ilesa, Nigeria.
  • To identify clinical correlates associated with parasitic diarrhea in this age group.

Main Methods:

  • A cross-sectional study involving microscopic stool examination of 300 under-five children presenting with diarrhea.
  • Comparison of clinical features between children with detected parasitic infections (cases) and those without (controls).

Main Results:

  • Parasitic agents were identified in 23.3% of children with diarrhea, with protozoa (17.3%) being more prevalent than helminths (6%).
  • Entamoeba histolytica was the most common protozoan (65.7%), followed by Giardia lamblia (7.1%).
  • Children with parasitic diarrhea were significantly older, more malnourished (OR=2.04), and from lower socioeconomic classes (OR=7.15) compared to controls.

Conclusions:

  • Parasitic infestations are a common cause of diarrhea in Nigerian children under five.
  • Malnutrition and low socioeconomic status are identified as significant risk factors for parasitic diarrhea in this population.

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