Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Prevalences Of Giardia Lamblia And Cryptosporidium Parvum Infection In Adults Presenting With Chronic Diarrhoea, Javed Yakoob, Zaigham Abbas, M. Asim Beg, Shagufta Naz, Rustam Khan, Muhammad Islam, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

iardia lamblia and Cryptosporidium parvum are both waterborne pathogens associated with diarrhoea in developing countries. In a recent study based at the Aga Khan University in Karachi, 334 adults aged 16–83 years (178 patients with chronic diarrhoea and 156 diarrhoea-free volunteers who acted as controls) were checked for infection with these parasites, using stool microscopy and/or PCR. Overall, 21 (6.3%) and 29 (8.7%) of the subjects were found positive for G. lamblia by microscopy and PCR, respectively, while the corresponding values for C. parvum were 13 (3.9%) and 14 (4.2%). Although, compared with the diarrhoea-free controls, the patients with diarrhoea …

Precipitating Factors And The Outcome Of Hepatic Encephalopathy In Liver Cirrhosis, Khalid Mumtaz, Umair Syed Ahmed, Shahab Abid, Noshaba Baig, Saeed Hamid, Wasim Jafri

Section of Gastroenterology

Objective: To determine precipitants of hepatic encephalopathy (HE) and their impact on hospital stay and mortality.

Study Design: Cross-sectional, analytical study. Place and Duration of Study: The Aga Khan University Hospital, from January 2005 to December 2007.

Methodology: Consecutive patients admitted with different grades of HE were evaluated between January 2005 and December 2007. The precipitants of HE were correlated with the different grades of HE, and length of hospital stay and mortality. Chi-square test was used to compare the proportion of precipitating factors versus hospital stay and grade with significance at p < 0.05.

Results: Of the 404 patients 252 (62%) …

Is There An Association Of Giardiasis With Beta-Thalassemia Minor?, Javed Yakoob, Wasim Jafri, Hizbullah Shaikh

Section of Gastroenterology

Beta–thalassemia minor is a symptomless carrier state of a hemoglobinopathy which predisposes to bacterial infections. We report three cases presenting with giardiasis, a parasitic infection of gastrointestinal tract caused by Giardia lamblia. Patients presented with recurrent diarrhea and abdominal pain for over a year. An esophagogastroduodenoscopy finding varied from normal to acute duodenitis. Duodenal biopsy demonstrated changes consistent with mild chronic non-specific inflammation with G. lamblia trophozoites. All three patients were diagnosed as β -thalassemia minor hemoglobin electrophoresis. They were treated with Diloxanide furoate 500 mg and Metronidazole 400mg three times daily for five days. Their symptoms resolved and a …