Dientamoeba fragilis: een mogelijk belangrijke oorzaak van persisterende buikpijn bij kinderen

To determine the effect of an antiprotozoic treatment on children with persistent abdominal pain and infection with Dientamoeba fragilis.

Design

Retrospective.

Method

A total of 43 children with D. fragilis infection and persistent gastrointestinal complaints were included in the study. Of these 27 were treated with clioquinol and 16 with a nitroimidazole drug: metronidazole or tinidazole. The parasitological and clinical effects of the treatment were assessed.

Results

In 33 of the 43 (77) children, no parasites were detected during follow-up with a triple faeces test: 22/27 following treatment with clioquinol and 11/16 following treatment with a nitroimidazole drug. In 27 of the 33 (82) children with a negative follow-up result, gastrointestinal complaints were considerably less or had completely disappeared. In 2 of the 10 (20) children in which D. fragilis had not disappeared in the follow-up period, the complaints were less or had disappeared.

Conclusion

Effective treatment of D. fragilis infection in children with longstanding gastrointestinal complaints often resulted in a reduction or disappearance of the complaints.