[Intestinal parasitosis and hepatic cirrhosis]

Area of Science:

• Gastroenterology
• Infectious Diseases
• Hepatology

Background:

• Hepatic cirrhosis is a significant global health issue.
• The impact of hepatic cirrhosis on intestinal parasite prevalence is not fully understood.
• Previous studies have not comprehensively evaluated parasitic infections in Brazilian cirrhosis patients.

Purpose of the Study:

• To determine the prevalence of intestinal parasites in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.
• To compare parasite prevalence in cirrhosis patients with control groups.
• To investigate the relationship between cirrhosis etiology and parasitic infections.

Main Methods:

• Prospective survey of patients admitted to the Gastroenterology Unit.
• Examination of fresh stool samples using Hoffman-Pons-Janner, Baermann-Moraes, and Willis methods.
• Comparison with two control groups: patients with other digestive diseases and general hospital patients.

Main Results:

• Higher prevalence of certain parasites, notably Strongyloides stercoralis (40.2%), was observed in cirrhosis patients compared to controls.
• Strongyloides stercoralis infection was predominantly found in alcoholic cirrhosis.
• Control group I (other digestive diseases) showed no cases of strongyloidiasis; control group II (general hospital) had 1.91% prevalence.

Conclusions:

• Hepatic cirrhosis is identified as a condition that increases the risk of Strongyloides stercoralis infection.
• The study highlights the importance of screening for parasitic infections in patients with hepatic cirrhosis.
• Findings contribute to understanding the epidemiology of parasitic diseases in immunocompromised populations.