ABSTRACT
The present study was performed in Pediatrics department, Benha, Faculty of Medicine on 200 children [132 males and 68 females]. The selected cases were below 14 years and showed hepatomegaly on preliminary examination. All the cases were subjected to complete clinical examination, stool analysis, blood analysis and their sera were isolated for immunological test [I.H.A.]. It was found that, by stool examination and I.H.A. among all the studied cases with hepatomegaly 13 cases were infected with Fasciola [6.5%] 12 cases were males and one case female. The mean age of infected cases was 7.3 years [ +/- 2.1]. Fasciola infection was prevalent in the age group 4-8 years [30.8%] and over 8 years [69.2%] and all the cases had rural residency. Clinically, all cases had pallor and tender hepatomegaly [100%] and 12 cases, out of 13 had fever [92.3%] vomiting occur in [38.5%] and jaundice in [30.8%] of infected cases. Heamatologically infected cases had a mean hemoglobin value 5.8 gm dL [ +/- 1.2] and eosinophilic count 7.7% [ +/- 1.5]. For the validity of stool examination techniques in detecting Fasciola eggs compared to [I.H.A.] it was found that formal-ether sedimentation and merthiolate iodine formaldehyde concentration technique is the most valid one [sensitivity 100%] followed by 3 successive stool examination [sensitivity 38.5%] and the least valid one, is the flotation [zinc sulphate] technique [sensetivity 7.7%] and the 3 techniques are of a nearer specificity. In conclusion, human fascioliasis becomes a new parasitic health problem among Egyptian children and should be suspected in any child having tender hepatomegaly, pallor and fever particularly when the blood picture reveals anaemia and marked eosinophilia