Giardiasis and its relation to anemia and failure to growth in children

ABSTRACT

Giardiasis is one of the most famous parasitological infections in the humans, the causing factor is the flagellate protozoan Giardia Lamblia which is living in the upper part of the small intestine attaching to the mucousa membrane. The infection with this flagellate may cause diarrhea disease that varies in severity, wherease the chronic infection with this parasite may cause mal absorption and a celiac disease like syndrome which lead specially in children to anemia and retardation in growth and development. Our studying performed on four groups, which contained 465 child. We diagnosed the giardia parasite through fecal microscopic test, and we applied hematological tests and special measurement to diagnose the failure to growth. We found that the percentage of giardiasis is 24%, and the percentage of children with anemia beside giardiasis is 37%, while the percentage of children with failure to growth and giardiasis is 43%, but the percentage of children with anemia and failure to growth and giardiasis is 22%