IMPACTO DE LA PARASITOSIS INTESTINAL EN LA TALLA Y EL PESO DE NIÑOS DE 1 A 10 AÑOS EN EL HOSPITAL LEÓN BECERRA DE GUAYAQUIL EN EL AÑO 2017

Abstract

Background: Human gastrointestinal parasites are associated with an increased risk of childhood malnutrition and growth deficits, being the children particularly susceptible to parasitic infections. Objective: The present titling work aims to determine the impact of intestinal parasitism on the weight and height of children from 1 to 10 years of León Becerra Hospital in Guayaquil in 2017. Methodology: A prospective, observational, descriptive and analytical study was performed in the hospital Leon Becerra Hospital of Guayaquil, which included a sample of 128 children from 1 to 10 years old. Results: Of the 128 children in the study, 106 are under 5 years old. These 106 children were evaluated using the Chi2 test, determining that the presence of parasitism is related to the nutritional status of the children, and this relationship favor the presence of acute malnutrition, both moderate and severe. On the other hand, the nutritional status of children over 5 years of age is assessed using the BMI indicator for age. In the study population there were only 22 children. Such a small sample made it impossible to apply the Chi2 test. That is why for the analysis of children over 5 years we proceeded to graph the nutritional diagnoses in relation to the presence of parasitism noticing that the negative effect of parasite infestation on nutrition of children is less pronounced. Conclusion: There is a statistically significant association between intestinal parasitism and low nutritional status.