title: [Giardiasis in children - clinical diversity and diagnostic problems based on own experience].
abstract: Parasitosis still remains a significant pediatric health problem, despite improving hygienic conditions and social awareness.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  was to analyze clinical manifestations of Giardia lamblia infection in children hospitalized in the Department of Pediatrics, Pediatric Gastroenterology and Oncology of Medical University of Gdansk.
  
  
  METHODS
  studied children included 49 patients aged 2.2 - 17.3 years: group I children below and group II above 5 years of age. The patients were admitted for further diagnosis of unexplained clinical manifestations in outpatient care. Parasitosis was confirmed by immuno-enzymatic technique detecting protein GSA 65; only in one child parasites cysts were found by microscopic technique in faecal samples obtained from infected children.
  
  
  RESULTS
  chronic abdominal pain was noted in 16 (72.7%) children in group I and in 22 (81.5%) patients in group II. Chronic diarrhea was observed in 20 (90.9%) children in group I and in 4 (14.8%) in group II. Ultrasound scans revealed mesenteric lymphadenopathy in 42 children (16 in group I and 26 in group II).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  chronic and recurrent abdominal pain was the main clinical complain and chronic diarrhea in children under 5 years of age. In few cases hepatobiliary involvement was observed, which might suggest a changing clinical course of giardiasis. Most of the children presented with mesenteric lymphadenopathy, which was confirmed by abdominal ultrasound scan. Thus, this method should be included in the diagnostic algorithm, if parasitosis is considered.
authors.affiliation: Klinika Pediatrii, Gastroenterologii i Onkologii Dzieciecej, Akademia Medyczna, ul. Nowe Ogrody 1-6, 80-803 Gdansk, Poland. mgora@amg.gda.pl
authors.forename: Magdalena
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Góra-Gebka
authors.forename: Anna
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Liberek
authors.forename: Grazyna
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Sikorska-Wiśniewska
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Jankowska
authors.forename: Agnieszka
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Szlagatys-Sidorkiewicz
authors.forename: Wanda
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Bako
authors.forename: Andrzej
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Marek
authors.forename: Julianna
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kurlenda
authors.forename: Maria
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Korzon
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000818:Animals; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D002908:Chronic Disease; D003937:Diagnosis, Differential; D005243:Feces / Q000469:parasitology; D005260:Female; D016829:Giardia lamblia / Q000302:isolation & purification*; D005873:Giardiasis / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000469:parasitology; D006801:Humans; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007297:Inpatients / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D008297:Male; D011044:Poland / Q000453:epidemiology; D012189:Retrospective Studies