Abstract:

INTRODUCTION: Gastroenteritis is a clinical status that may appear in several diseases such as viral, bacterial and parasitic infections, non-infectious bowel diseases such as inflammatory bowel diseases, diverticulosis, malignancy and systemic diseases. In this study we aimed to evaluate patients with gastroenteritis hospitalized in Infectious Diseases and Clinic Microbiology clinic. METHODS: Between December 2009-December 2014, 137 patients that hospitalized in our clinic with symptoms of diarrhea and diagnosis of acute or chronic gastroenteritis were evaluated prospectively. Demographic status of patients, macroscopic and microscopic findings of faeces, virus and parasite examination, stool culture and colonoscopic biopsy results were recorded. RESULTS: Of 137 patients, 66.4% (91) were female and mean age was 51.2 (15-88). In parasitic examination of faeces, we detected Entamoeba spp. in 15.3% (21), Blastocystis homminis in 0.7% (1) and Giardia intestinalis in 0.7% (1) of patients. Salmonella spp. was detected in stool culture of 2.2% of patients. Of the colonoscopic biopsy results, 36.3% (4) were chronic active colitis, 18.2% (2) were ulcerative colitis, 18.2% (2) were amebic colitis, 9.1% (1) were radiation colitis, 9.1% (1) were Chron’s disease, 9.1% (1) Cytomegalovirus. We detected infectious diarrhea in 21.1% of all included patients. Of infectious diarrhea, 79.3% (23) were parasites, 10.3% (3) were bacteria and 10.3% (3) were viruses. DISCUSSION AND CONCLUSION: The cause of gastroenteritis can not be detected in 50% of cases. In order to find out the etiology, we consider that colonoscopic examination plays an important role in diagnosis of especially non-infectious causes of gastroenteritis besides macroscobic and microscobic examination and stool culture.

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