Summer 2001; 44(72):7-13

COMPARING THE EFFECT OF SECNIDAZOLE AND METRONIDAZOLE FOR THE TREATMENT OF GIARDIASIS IN CHILDREN

MODARRESI A.R.,FATTA A

Giardiasis is one of the most common intestinal parasitic infection among children. It is a world wide and an important disease in Iran.
Abdominal pain, bloat, chronic or intermitant diarrhea and steaturrhea which cause malabsorption are the main clinical signs.
The etilogic agent is Giardia lamblia which is found in the, form of trophozoite (pathogenic form) and cyst (infective form).
In order to evaluate the efficacy of secnidazole (a new drug) and comparing with the effect of metronidazole, a study was undertaken over a 15 months period on 83 patients suffering from giardiasis in Imam Reza Hospital. After completing a questionnaire for each patient, the patients were treated with secnidazole (30 mg/kg single dose) and metronidazole (15 mg/kg tid for 7 days) randomly. Two weeks after the end of the treatment, direct and, formol ether faecal examination was performed on 3 consecutive days for each child.
Examinations showed that secnidazole is effective in 94.4% and metronidazole is effective in 80% of infected children (P<0.05). Since secnidazole had milder side effects and was more effective than metronidazol, and can be used in single dose, it can be concluded as a better drug than metronidazole for treatment of giardiasis in children

Keyword:Giardia lamblia, Secnidazole, Metronidazole, Treatment, Side effects