Alcoholism and Strongyloides stercoralis: Daily Ethanol Ingestion Has a Positive Correlation with the Frequency of Strongyloides Larvae in the Stools

BACKGROUND: Significantly higher prevalence of Strongyloides stercoralis has been reported in chronic alcoholic patients. The aim of this investigation was to report the prevalence of Strongyloides larvae in stools of chronic alcoholic patients with known daily ethanol intake. METHODS: From January 2001 through December 2003 the results of fecal examinations and the daily ethanol intake were retrieved from the records of 263 chronic alcoholic and from 590 non-alcoholic male patients that sought health care at the outpatients unit of the University Hospital C A Moraes. Alcoholic patients were separated into four groups, with 150g intervals between the groups according to the daily ethanol intake. RESULTS: (a) The frequency of Strongyloides was significantly higher in alcoholic patients than in control group (overall prevalence in alcoholic 20.5% versus 4.4% in control group; p = 0.001). Even in the group with a daily intake of ethanol equal to or less than 150g the prevalence was higher than in control group, although non significant (9.5%, versus 4.4% in control group; p = 0,071); (b) the prevalence of Strongyloides in alcoholic patients rises with the increase of ethanol intake (Pearson's Correlation Coefficient = 0.956; p = 0.022), even in patients without liver cirrhosis (Pearson's Correlation Coefficient = 0.927; p = 0.037). CONCLUSION: These results confirm and reinforce the hypothesis that chronic alcoholism is associated with Strongyloides infection, which is in direct relationship with the severity of alcoholism, independently of the presence of liver cirrhosis.