Prevalence and Predictors of Intestinal Parasitic Infections at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, from 2019 to 2023: A Retrospective Study

Purpose: Parasitic infections are a primary cause of illness worldwide and a public health problem. This study highlighted the prevalence of intestinal parasitic (IP) infections and their updated epidemiologic status from 2019 to 2023 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital, Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Patients and Methods: A retrospective study was conducted from 2019 to 2023 at King Abdulaziz University Hospital. The laboratory results, socio-demographic information, and the year of data collection were collected from the hospital's parasitology laboratory. The data were analyzed using SPSS version 26. Ethical approval was obtained from the National Committee of Bioethics (NCBE) - King Abdul Aziz City for Science and Technology, with an approval number of 258-22. Results: During the study period, 7673 stool samples were requested for intestinal parasite examination. The prevalence of IP infection from 2019 to 2023 was 212/7673, with a percentage of 2.8%. Infected patients had a mean (SD) age of 37.68 (17.27) years. Most infected patients were females (61%) and from Saudi Arabia (37.1%). Most stool samples were brown (79.1%), and about half were soft (51.7%). 2019 had the highest number of infected cases (28.3%), while the number of cases decreased in 2023 (8.8%), the lowest during five years. The most predominant parasite among study subjects was Blastocystis hominis (48.11%). Conclusion: The prevalence of IP infection is lower than in previous comparable surveys. Maintaining personal hygiene, conducting epidemiological surveillance, and enhancing environmental sanitation can prevent and control infections.