Giardiosis en población pediátrica de la provincia de Castellón: clínica e impacto

INTRODUCTION Giardiasis is a gastrointestinal parasitosis that has a great public health impact. PATIENTS AND METHODS Observational case study - in children under 15 years old in the Health Department 3 of the Province of Castellon (Spain), during the period 2012-2019. RESULTS A total of 190 cases of giardiasis were recorded in children under 15 years old. The number of cases varied significantly according to age group and month of the year. There were 115 males. The most frequent symptoms were diarrhea and abdominal pain. The most commonly used treatment was standard metronidazole (80% of patients). Co-infection occurred in 13% of cases, and comorbidities in 36%, especially atopic dermatitis and lactose/fructose intolerance. Relapses and/or re-infections were recorded in 8%. All cases were diagnosed by conventional parasitological stool tests and complementary immunochromatography (63 cases). Thirty-five samples were positive for Giardia duodenalis by qPCR. The direct health cost per patient was 117€. A disease notification bias was detected between 2012-2016 at a national scale. CONCLUSIONS Giardiasis is a current disease in Castellon, and should be considered as a probable diagnosis of gastrointestinal disease in a child under 4 years-old with diarrhea and abdominal pain. Its correct clinical and therapeutic management could reduce the possibility of worsening of the patient's condition and, additionally, would reduce the economic impact of the disease in terms of direct health costs.