High rate of fatigue and abdominal symptoms 2 years after an outbreak of giardiasis

Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg. 2009 May;103(5):530-2. doi: 10.1016/j.trstmh.2009.01.010. Epub 2009 Jan 30.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of fatigue and abdominal symptoms 2 years after Giardia lamblia infection. All 1262 cases who had Giardia-positive stool samples during an outbreak in 2004 in Norway received a questionnaire in 2006 asking about fatigue and abdominal symptoms. Fatigue was reported by 41%, whereas 38% reported abdominal symptoms, and there was a highly significant association between these symptoms. Increasing age was a highly significant risk factor for fatigue. The symptoms were not due to chronic infection in this cohort. Our data warrant further investigations into the late effects of giardiasis.

MeSH terms

  • Abdominal Pain / epidemiology*
  • Abdominal Pain / parasitology
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Child
  • Child, Preschool
  • Disease Outbreaks
  • Fatigue / epidemiology*
  • Fatigue / parasitology
  • Female
  • Giardiasis / complications
  • Giardiasis / epidemiology*
  • Humans
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Norway / epidemiology
  • Surveys and Questionnaires
  • Time Factors
  • Treatment Outcome
  • Young Adult