A 10-Year Epidemiological Study of Human Cystic Echinococcosis in Qazvin Province, Iran

Background: Cystic echinococcosis (CE) is a parasitic infection with significant health problems and economic burden in most of developing countries. The current study aims to investigate the 10-year prevalence of human CE and the demographic and clinical characteristics of operated patients in Qazvin province, Iran. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, the medical records of CE patients who had undergone surgery in two hospitals of Qazvin Province from 2009 to 2019 were studied. Findings: There was 203 CE cases in ten years, corresponding to a surgical incidence rate of 1.49 in 100,000 people. Of these, 99(48.8%) were male, and 104 (51.2%) were female. Patients’ age ranged from 8 to 86 years, with a mean age of 43±19.16 years. A significantly higher CE incidence was reported in patients aged 20-40 years. The majority of patients were housekeeper (48.8%), and the CE was diagnosed in almost all patients by imaging techniques. Involved organs were liver (n=119, 58.6%) and lungs (n=64, 31.5%), and their concurrent involvement was 4.5% (n=9). The highest CE incidence was recorded in 2015 (n=35, 17.2%). Affected organ and number of cysts had significant association with the CE recurrence in operated patients. Conclusion: The CE has had a uneven incidence trend in Qazvin Province during 2009- 2019. A further epidemiological study is recommended to evaluate more risk factors of CE for its control in this area.