Trends and prevalence of intestinal parasites at a tertiary care center in Lebanon over a decade

Intestinal parasitic infections or infestation are amongst the most prevalent infections worldwide. This study aimed at revealing the changing trends over a decade duration of intestinal parasites identified at a major tertiary care center in Lebanon between 1997-1998 and 2007-2008. The total number of specimens tested were 14,771 for 1997-1998 vs 7477 for 2007-2008. The positive findings for parasites were 2077 [14%] vs 1047 [14%], respectively. The majority of recovered parasites in both study periods belonged to intestinal protozoa [91% and 95%], followed by cestodes [6% and 3%], and nematodes [3% and 2%], while trematodes were negligible in both periods. The highest prevalence occurred among ages 16 to 35 years for 1997-1998, and without age predominance in the second period. The detected parasites from 1686 individuals [11.4%] in the first period vs 904 [12.1%] in the second period encompassed 18 species. The most common "pathogenic" parasite in both periods were: Entamoeba histolytica [14% vs 12%], Giardia lamblia [16% vs 6%], Taenia spp. [6% vs 3%], and Ascaris lumbricoides [2% vs 1%]. Generally, these were detected more in males than females, in adults than in children, and during the summer [[almost equal to] 30%] and autumn [[almost equal to] 26%] than winter [[almost equal to] 20%] seasons for both periods. Despite some observable decrease in prevalence among the two study periods, sustainability of substantial intestinal parasites detection continues to exist. The latter is a valuable indicator for a state of collective illhealth, warranting more attention and efforts for public health awareness to improve hygiene and sanitation in order to minimize the prevalence of these parasites in this country

Common dermatologic diseases among students at a tertiary care center in Lebanon

There are few publications on prevalence of skin diseases in Lebanon. To find the prevalence of dermatologic diseases among students seen at the university health services of the American University of Beirut. Medical charts were retrospectively reviewed. Chi-square tests were used to assess any significant difference between male and female prevalence amongst all types of skin diseases met; p-value < 0.05 was considered significant. 2903 visits were reviewed, ages ranged from 16 to 33 years old, of whom 1688 were females [58.15%] and 1215 were males [41.85%]. Acne vulgaris was the most prevalent, followed by hair problems and contact dermatitis. Acne vulgaris and hair problems were significantly higher among females, and verruca among males [p < 0.001 in all]. Dermatologists must be aware of the psychological effects of skin diseases on their patients. Acne, hair problems, and contact dermatitis are the most common diseases seen. Patients seem to be more concerned about diseases that affect their image in society