Author/Authors :
Mohammed Abdalla, Alam-eldin Pediatric Department Faculty of Medicine - Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt , Saad, Khaled Pediatric Department Faculty of Medicine - Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt , Abd-Elkader, Randa Chest Department - Faculty of Medicine - Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt , Yones, Doaa Parasitology Department - Faculty of Medicine - Assiut University, Assiut, Egypt , Abdelmoghny, Abobakr Department of ENT - Faculty of Medicine - Al-Azhar University, Assiut, Egypt , Aboul-Khair, Mohamed Diab 5Department of Pediatrics - Faculty of Medicine - Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt , Zahran, Asmaa Mohammed Clinical Pathology Department - South Egypt Cancer Institute - Assiut University, Egypt , El-Houfey, Amira Department of Community Health Nursing - Sabia University College - Jazan University, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
Abstract :
Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate parasitic infections in children with allergic rhinitis (AR) referring to a tertiary center in
Egypt.
Methods: A case-control study was conducted on 139 children (78 males) with allergic rhinitis aged from 6 to 14 years attending
Assiut University Hospitals, as well as 70 healthy children as controls. All participants underwent stool analysis, serology for IgG
antibodies to Toxocara canis, IgE antibodies to Ascaris lumbricoides, serum IL-5 levels, and urinary leukotriene E4.
Results: AR patients showed significantly higher values of absolute eosinophilic count (AEC), IL-5, urinary leukotriene E4, and total
IgE than controls. Anti-Ascaris IgE and IgG anti- Toxocara canis were positive in 18.7% and 18% of patients respectively. Giardia infection
was detected in stools of 20.1% of patients. Patients with parasitic infectionsshowedsignificantly higher AEC,serumIL-5, andurinary
leukotriene E4 values than those with negative infection and controls.
Conclusions: Our study revealed that infections with Ascaris, Toxocara, and Giardia were more common among AR children compared
to healthy children and they were significantly associated with disease severity so the infection with these parasites may be a
risk factor for AR among Upper Egyptian children.
Keywords :
Egypt , Allergic Rhinitis , Toxocara Species , Giardia lamblia , Ascaris lumbricoides
