Greater giardiasis frequency amongst children with rickets compared to healthy children from the town of Suárez, Cauca, Colombia

Abstract

In Suárez, Cauca, intestinal parasite ova, cysts and trophozoites were examined in faeces from 332 healthy children and from 70 children with rickets, being described as an inherited intestinal malabsorption disorder due to resistance to vitamin D. The overall parasitosis rate was 65.9% and that for mixed parasitosis was 10.9%. lncreased rates of giardiosis and mixed parasitosis were found in rachitic children (17.1 and 18.6%) as compared to healthy children (9.0 and 9.3%) and were statistically significant. The rural area of La Toma, where higher numbers of rachitic patients have been found, seemed to confer higher ascariosis risk, though unrelated to rickets. Some mechanisms to explain the increased parasitosis rates in rachitic children are discussed. Increased pathogenic intestinal parasitism frequency may contribute to a decrease in intestinal calcium absorption in children with rickets.