A study on intestinal parasites among diabetic patients in Najaf governorate of Iraq and its effect on some blood parameters

Intestinal parasites are important health problem for diabetics. Therefore, there is an urgent need to study the prevalence of intestinal parasites in individuals suffering from this disease. The current study was conducted during February 2020 to April 2021 to study the prevalence of intestinal parasites in diabetic patients in the province of Najaf, Iraq. A total of 372 samples were examined, which were 137 samples were positive for intestinal parasites in diabetic patients. The most common intestinal parasite in diabetic patients was Entameaba hitolitica with proportion of 34.3%, and the age group most affected by intestinal parasites in diabetes was 6-40 years. The results showed a significant higher infection in females (57.6%). The results also showed that the prevalence of intestinal parasites among diabetics is high in people who lived in rural areas (70%) (P<0.05). The current study included the correlation of age, sex, and residence with the prevalence of parasites in patients with diabetes, due to the scarcity of information on the prevalence and type of infection with pathogenic intestinal parasites in diabetics.