Study of Intestinal Parasites in Patients attending a Tertiary Care Hospital in Western U.P., India

Background Intestinal parasitic infestation is major public health problem in the world. Parasitic infections can lead to a number of adverse effects like anaemia, reduced physical growth, mental retardation, abdominal colic, cholestasis, pancreatitis and cholecystitis. This study was undertaken to assess the prevalence of intestinal parasitic infections among patients, attending S. M. M. H Medical college, Saharanpur. (U. P) Materials and Methods The study was conducted from January 2016 to February 2017 in the Department of Microbiology, S. M. M. H Medical College and Hospital, Saharanpur (U. P). The study was conducted on 788 consecutive stool samples, received from patients attending the OPD and IPD of the Hospital with gastrointestinal symptoms. Conclusion Helminthes are more common than Protozoa in our study. It is necessary to develop effective prevention and control strategies including health education and environmental hygiene to decrease prevalence of intestinal parasite.