Opportunistic intestinal parasites among children with chronic liver disease

ABSTRACT

Two hundred children were included in this study; 80 patients showing clinical and/or biochemical evidence of chronic liver disease, 80 children immunocompromised due to causes other than chronic liver disease and 40 healthy controls. All were subjected to detailed history, thorough clinical examination, investigated by liver function tests and stool examination by special techniques for opportunistic intestinal parasites. Autoimmune chronic hepatitis represented 12.5% of cases with chronic liver disease, 30% of hepatic schistosomiasis, 25% of congenital cholestasis, 20% of chronic viral hepatitis and 12.5% of metabolic liver diseases. The incidence of opportunistic intestinal parasites with chronic liver disease [92.5%] was nearly similar to the immunocompromised patients [90%] and significantly higher than the controls [30%]. Mixed infection was not detected in the controls, while 57.5% of patients with chronic liver disease and 35% of the immunocompromised ones were infected by two parasites and 12.5% of each group was infected by more parasites