Gastrointestinal parasites among patients with Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) in Khartoum state.

Abstract

This survey was conducted in different hospitals in Omdurman city. The study involved three hundred stool samples collected from 200 patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) and another 100 as control, during the period between May and December (2011). The result showed that 112(56%) of irritable bowel syndrome patients were harboring gastrointestinal parasites and 20% of the control as well. The study revealed that Giardia lambilia was seen in 28.5% of the irritable bowel syndrome cases, followed by Entamoeba histolytica in 9.2% of cases, Hymenolepis nana (7.0%), Taenia spp (4%) and Entamoeba coli and Ascaris lumbricoides (3.5% each). Lower rates were reported among the control group where G. lamblia was seen in 10% of the cases, E. coli in 5%, E. histolytica in 1%, H. nana in 2% and Taenia spp in 2% of the cases. The result demonstrated that the prevalence rate of gastrointestinal parasites among males and females was almost the same (55% and 57% respectively). On the other hand, the prevalence of gastrointestinal parasites among males and females in the control group was found to be 22% and 18% respectively. The highest prevalence rates (61.5% and 60%) were reported among the 21-30 and 31-40 years age grouprespectively, while the lowest rate (22.2%) was reported among the 10-20 years age group for the IBS patients. For the control group, the highest prevalence rate (23.3%) was reported among the 21-30 years age group, while the lowest prevalence rate (13.3%) was reported among the over 40 years age group. All individuals in the 10-20 years age group were refractory to infection. It was revealed that infection with G. lamblia was the highest (28.5%) in the IBS patients followed by E. histolytica in 9.2% of the cases. In the control group, an infection rate of 10% was reported for G. lamblia.