Table 3. Clinical symptoms of patients with dientamoebiasis and giardiasis, Helsinki Metropolitan Area, Finland, 2007–2012 (n = 479).
| Symptoms | Dientamoeba (n = 319) | Giardia (n = 160) | p value | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | % | n | % | ||
| Symptomatic | 270 | 85 | 140 | 88 | NS |
| Diarrhoea (all) | 202 | 64 | 116 | 72 | 0.034 |
| Watery stools | 41 | 13 | 54 | 34 | < 0.001 |
| Loose stools | 145 | 46 | 55 | 34 | 0.023 |
| Both watery and loose stools | 16 | 5 | 7 | 4 | NS |
| Continuous diarrhoea ≥ 2 weeks | 160 | 50 | 100 | 63 | 0.011 |
| Abdominal pain and cramps | 175 | 55 | 72 | 45 | 0.043 |
| Flatus, abdominal swelling and discomfort | 104 | 33 | 72 | 45 | NS |
| Nausea | 40 | 13 | 46 | 29 | < 0.001 |
| Weight loss | 37 | 12 | 17 | 11 | NS |
| Vomiting | 30 | 9 | 19 | 12 | NS |
| Fatigue | 27 | 9 | 12 | 8 | NS |
| Fever | 27 | 9 | 24 | 15 | 0.025 |
| Constipation | 23 | 7 | 4 | 3 | 0.036 |
| Anal pruritus | 23 | 7 | 6 | 4 | NS |
| Faecal urgency | 14 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0.026 |
| Bloody stools | 11 | 3 | 2 | 1 | NSa |
| Abnormally smelly stools | 8 | 3 | 2 | 1 | NSa |
| Heartburn | 2 | 1 | 2 | 1 | NSa |
| Duration of symptoms before diagnosis (days, median)b | 180 (IQR: 345; range: 2–3,650) | 45 (IQR: 106; range: 1–1,800) | < 0.001c | ||
IQR: interquartile range; NS: not significant.
a 2-sided Fisher’s Exact test.
b Data missing for 162 patients in the Dientamoeba group and for 97 patients in the Giardia group.
c Mann–Whitney U-test.
As for asymptomatic cases: 23 asymptomatic Dientamoeba and four asymptomatic Giardia cases were found when asymptomatic family members of symptomatic carriers were screened for intestinal parasites. Faecal samples of 18 Dientamoeba and 12 Giardia asymptomatic cases were examined for unknown reasons. Six Dientamoeba and four Giardia asymptomatic cases were detected when investigating the subjects’ peripheral venous eosinophilia. Two asymptomatic Dientamoeba cases were found in routine examination of faeces from faecal material donors.