Prevalence of clonorchiasis in patients with gastrointestinal disease: a Korean nationwide multicenter survey.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate prevalence of Clonorchis sinensis in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms, and the relation of the infection to hepatobiliary diseases in 26 hospitals in Korea.


METHODS
Consecutive patients who had been admitted to the Division of Gastroenterology with gastrointestinal symptoms were enrolled from March to April 2005. Of those who had been diagnosed with clonorchiasis, epidemiology and correlation between infection and hepatobiliary diseases were surveyed by questionnaire.


RESULTS
Of 3080 patients with gastrointestinal diseases, 396 (12.9%) had clonorchiasis and 1140 patients (37.2%) had a history of eating raw freshwater fish. Of those with a history of raw freshwater fish ingestion, 238 (20.9%) patients had clonorchiasis. Cholangiocarcinoma was more prevalent in C. sinensis-infected patients than non-infected patients [34/396 (8.6%) vs 145/2684 (5.4%), P = 0.015]. Cholangiocarcinoma and clonorchiasis showed statistically significant positive cross-relation (P = 0.008). Choledocholithiasis, cholecystolithiasis, cholangitis, hepatocellular carcinoma, and biliary pancreatitis did not correlate with clonorchiasis.


CONCLUSIONS
Infection rate of clonorchiasis was still high in patients with gastrointestinal diseases in Korea, and has not decreased very much during the last two decades. Cholangiocarcinoma was related to clonorchiasis, which suggested an etiological role for the parasite.
Kim
Ho Gak
HG
Department of Internal Medicine, Catholic University of Daegu School of Medicine, Daegu, South Korea. hgkim@cu.ac.kr
Han
Jimin
J
Kim
Myung-Hwan
MH
Cho
Kyu Hyun
KH
Shin
Im Hee
IH
Kim
Gwang Ha
GH
Kim
Jae Seon
JS
Kim
Jin Bong
JB
Kim
Tae Nyeun
TN
Kim
Tae Hyeon
TH
Kim
Tae Hyo
TH
Kim
Jae Woo
JW
Ryu
Ji Kon
JK
Moon
Young Soo
YS
Moon
Jong Ho
JH
Park
Sung Jae
SJ
Park
Chan Guk
CG
Bang
Sung-Jo
SJ
Yang
Chang Heon
CH
Yoo
Kyo-Sang
KS
Yoo
Byung Moo
BM
Lee
Kyu Taek
KT
Lee
Dong Ki
DK
Lee
Byung Seok
BS
Lee
Sang Soo
SS
Lee
Seung Ok
SO
Lee
Woo Jin
WJ
Cho
Chang Min
CM
Joo
Young-Eun
YE
Cheon
Gab Jin
GJ
Choi
Young Woo
YW
Chung
Jae Bok
JB
Yoon
Yong Bum
YB
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000818:Animals; D003003:Clonorchiasis / Q000150:complications* / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000453:epidemiology*; D003004:Clonorchis sinensis / Q000472:pathogenicity; D005260:Female; D005399:Fishes / Q000469:parasitology; D016266:Food Parasitology; D005767:Gastrointestinal Diseases / Q000150:complications*; D006801:Humans; D007723:Korea / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012758:Shellfish / Q000469:parasitology; D055815:Young Adult