Parasitosis intestinal, anemia y desnutrición en niños de Latinoamérica: Revisión Sistemática.

Intestinal parasitic infections are more frequent in children; in Latin America the prevalence is high, due to socioeconomic factors, deficit in environmental sanitation and inadequate hygiene habits. Public health entities are making efforts to mitigate this problem; however, they continue to be a probable cause of deficits in the child's anthropometric development. To determine the relationship between intestinal parasites in Latin American children, anemia and malnutrition, the mechanisms by which intestinal parasites may cause these disorders are evaluated. The documentary design and type of retrospective study were used, using the PRISMA guide as a search strategy. The result, according to the review of studies at the level of all Latin American countries, is that the most frequent parasite is Giardia intestinalis (lamblia, duodenalis) which is recognized as a cause of malnutrition in preschool children with chronic and severe infection due to malabsorption syndrome. Among the helminths, the most frequent were Ascaris lumbricoides and Trichuris trichiura, which could cause alterations in nutrition and anemia, respectively, without forgetting hookworms (Ancylostoma duodenale, Necator americanus) that produce anemia but, in Latin America, are more frequent in adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]