Association of parasites and diarrhoea among children less than five years of age in a rural area in Egypt.

A case control study was conducted in Kafr El-Sheikh Governorate, Egypt, a rural community, to assess the relation of parasites and diarrhoea among children <5 years. A sample of 196 cases with diarrhoea and 83 non-diarrhoeic controls were included in the study. A questionnaire was completed for every child and weight and height were recorded. A stool sample was obtained and examined for parasites present. The results revealed that 70.3% of cases had parasites compared to 59% of controls. The most common parasites found were Entamoeba histolytica, cryptosporidium, and Giardia lamblia consecutively. In both groups the percent positive parasitic infection increased with age. The different socioeconomic and sanitary indicators studied were similar among both groups and could not explain the diarrhoea present except for the significantly higher presence of piped water inside houses of controls. Study of malnutrition revealed that a significantly higher percentage were stunted (15.6%) among cases than among controls (6.5%) and 13.8% were wasted among cases compared to only 2% among controls. Undernourished cases were 14.8% compared to 4.3% of controls.