Assessment Digestive Enzyme Activities, Level of Electrolytes and Alpha-1-Antitrypsin Infected Patients with Giardia lamblia in Dohuk City

Giardia lamblia (Giardia intestinalis) is one of the most important flagellated intestinal protozoa. It exists in two stages: The trophozoite stage, which parasitizes in the upper part of the small intestine (duodenum and jejunum) and is responsible for the symptoms of the disease, and the cyst stage, which is the infective stage and is excreted in the stool. The current study aimed to evaluate the effect of infection with Giardia lamblia on the digestive enzyme activity (-amylase and lipase) and malabsorption (electrolytes) and infections (Alpha-1-antitrypsin) in the serum of 39 patients (males and females), whose ages ranged between (3-38) years patients infected with the G. lamblia or suspected of being infected with this parasite, of the total 508 patients referred to public health prevention center, center, Heevi Pediatric Hospital, Shariya and Kaberto camp inside or outside Dohuk city. The diagnosis of parasitic infection was confirmed on the clinical symptoms of patients, the macroscopic examination of stool-infected patients, which contained trophozoites and/or cysts of G. lamblia, by confirming the infection microscopically in the laboratory by two methods: The direct wet smear examination and the antigen detection test. In addition, 30 serum samples from healthy individuals not infected with this parasite, of both sexes and the same ages, were considered a control group. The results of this study showed a significant decrease in the activity of both -amylase and lipase enzymes by 38% and 54%, respectively in the serum of patients with giardiasis compared to healthy controls of both genders and in male 44%, 54%, and in female 35%, 57%, respectively compared to healthy controls according to gender. The results also showed a slightly significant decrease in sodium (Na+) and potassium (K+) levels in the serum of infected patients by 6% and 4%, respectively, compared to healthy controls of both genders. The significant percentage of decrease was in males by 5% and 7%, respectively, and in females by 5% only for sodium compared to healthy controls according to gender. The results of the current study showed a significant increase in the Alpha-1-antitrypsin level by 54% in the serum of patients with giardiasis compared to healthy controls of both genders, in male 53% and in female 55% compared to healthy controls according to gender. We conclude that infection with G. lamblia causes diarrhea, which affects the digestive tract, causing malabsorption and intestinal inflammation, disrupting metabolic and physiological processes.