Giardiasis in patients with dyspeptic symptoms.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the prevalence of giardiasis in patients with dyspeptic symptoms.


METHODS
Clinical records of consecutive patients who attended Gastroenterology Department at Aga Khan University Hospital from January 2000 to June 2003 and had esophagogastroduodenoscopy (EGD) with duodenal biopsies and international classification of diseases 9th revision with clinical modifications (ICD-9-CM) coded with giardiasis were studied.


RESULTS
Two hundred and twenty patients fulfilled the above criteria. There were 44% (96/220) patients who were giardiasis positive, 72% (69/96) of them were males and 28% (27/96) of them were females. There were 65% (81/124) males and 35% (43/124) females who were giardiasis negative. The mean age of patients with giardiasis was 28+/-17 years, while that of giardiasis negative patients was 40+/-18 years (P<0.001). In patients with giardiasis, abdominal pain was present in 71% (68/96) of patients (P = 0.02) and diarrhea in 29% (28/96) (P = 0.005); duodenitis in 25% (24/96) on EGD (P = 0.006) and in 68% (65/96) on histopathology (P = 0.002).


CONCLUSIONS
Giardiasis occurs significantly in young people with abdominal pain, while endoscopic duodenitis is seen in only 25% of giardiasis positive cases, which supports routine duodenal biopsy.
Yakoob
Javed
J
Department of Medicine, Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi 74800, Pakistan. yakoobjaved@hotmail.com
Jafri
Wasim
W
Abid
Shahab
S
Jafri
Nadim
N
Hamid
Saeed
S
Shah
Hasnain Ali
HA
Rizvi
Lubna
L
Islam
Muhammad
M
Shaikh
Hizbullah
H
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000818:Animals; D001706:Biopsy; D004384:Duodenoscopy; D004415:Dyspepsia / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000469:parasitology*; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D016829:Giardia lamblia; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012189:Retrospective Studies