Intestinal parasitosis in malnourished children and adolescents

Introduction: Intestinal parasitosis represents a public health problem since they are infections that occur by ingesting protozoan cysts, eggs, or worm larvae. These are transmitted by the consumption of water or food contaminated with fecal matter, from person to person or from animal to human; the social factors that influence are poverty, geographic condition, infrastructure of health services, education, and lifestyle. Objective: To determine intestinal parasitosis in children and adolescents with malnutrition. Methods: Quantitative research approach, non-experimental design, cross-sectional and descriptive scope, with a population of 46 children and adolescents from the Salcedo Canton of the Jardín del Edén Foundation, Ecuador. Information was collected by taking anthropometric measurements and coproparasitic examination. Results: Of the total of 46 children and adolescents it was evident that according to the BMI/Age 67.4% were normal and 32.5% with malnutrition (due to deficit and excess), also 82.6% were found with parasitosis, with protozoa predominating 96.5% over helminths 3.5%, of which the greatest predominance was in the female sex 43.5%, the main species found were: Amoeba coli cyst 30.6%, amoeba histolytica 28.3% and giardia lamblia 15.3%. Conclusion: Intestinal parasitosis in children and adolescents in this research has nothing to do with malnutrition because some of them had a normal nutritional status, and despite that, they had parasitosis.