Clinical profile of giardiasis and comparison of its therapeutic response to metronidazole and tinidazole.
Seventy five cases (50 males, 25 females; mean age 20.2 +/- 5.8 years), whose stools were positive for cysts and/or trophozoites of Giardia lamblia, were studied for their clinical profile and therapeutic response to metronidazole and tinidazole. Maximum frequency of cases (41.2%) was noted upto 20 years of age, and it declined with advancing age. A majority of them (41.3%) presented with non-specific symptoms while 38.6% were asymptomatic parasite carriers. Features of malabsorption were observed in 12% of cases and 8% presented with acute illness, having explosive, watery, foul smelling diarrhoea along with crampy upper abdominal discomfort. Most of them (62.5%) had blood group A. Tinidazole (97.5%) was more efficacious (P less than 0.01) than metronidazole (54%) in a single dose of 50 mg/Kg, with good tolerance. Tinidazole can be recommended for the treatment of giardiasis in individual cases as well as in families and close communities.
Nigam
P
P
Department of Medicine, BRD Medical College and Nehru Chikitsalaya, Gorakhpur, UP.
Kapoor
K K
KK
Kumar
A
A
Sarkari
N B
NB
Gupta
A K
AK
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000367:Age Factors; D005260:Female; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000188:drug therapy* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008795:Metronidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D008875:Middle Aged; D014011:Tinidazole / Q000627:therapeutic use*
D014011:Tinidazole; D008795:Metronidazole