PREVALÊNCIA DE PARASITOSES INTESTINAIS DA POPULAÇÃO IDOSA EM UMA UNIDADE BÁSICA DE SAÚDE DE ABAETETUBA-PARÁ

Abstract

Enteroparasitic diseases are intestinal infections, in which etiological agents, especially protozoa and
helminths, inhabit the human gastrointestinal tract and are capable of causing a series of harmful effects
on the host's health. The objective of this study was to conduct a survey on the prevalence of intestinal
parasitic infections in the elderly treated at the Municipal Laboratory of Abaetetuba-Pará, which refers
to an epidemiological research, linked to a bibliographic review, being qualitative-quantitative and
cross-sectional. The target audience is elderly people aged 60 years or older, without information on
names and social conditions. Information such as gender, age, most frequent parasitosis and results of
absence and presence for enteroparasitosis were also collected. From a total of 3,796 Parasitological
Fecal Tests (EPFs), a number of 813 elderly people with the age of interest of the research were obtained.
Among all the variables, the female public was the one with the highest prevalence of parasitic
infections. Among the most frequent parasitic diseases, Entamoeba coli and Endolimax nana stood out.
Regarding polyparasitism, 149 cases were verified, with incidence in the ages of 60 to 69 years. The
present study was able to achieve its objectives, clearly showing the significant prevalence of intestinal
parasitosis in elderly patients treated at the Roberto Contente Municipal Laboratory of Abaetetuba.
Through the results obtained, it was possible to evidence that advanced age is a risk factor for parasite
infection