부산대학교 도서관

Introduction:Disability and decrease in the quality of life owing to the nature of schizophrenia are considered factors that predispose patients to parasitic infections. This study aimed to investigate intestinal parasites in schizophrenia and healthy volunteers with similar age-gender data and to contribute to the literature and/or clinical practice by determining the underlying cause of gastrointestinal complaints (such as side effects of psychiatric drugs or overlooked parasitic infection) in patients with schizophrenia.Methods:This case-control study included 30 patients with schizophrenia and 30 healthy volunteers. Their stool samples were examined for the presence of intestinal parasites primarily microscopically or serologically in cases requiring differential diagnosis.Results:The overall positivity rate of intestinal parasites was 25% (15/60). The difference between the intestinal parasite detection rates, which was 36.7% (11/30) in the schizophrenia group and 13.3% (4/30) in the healthy control group, was significant (odds ratio: 3.76; 95% confidence interval: 1.04- 13.65; p