A study was carried out to determine the prevalence of enteroparasites attacking elderly people living in a riverside city of the Municipal district of Nova Olinda do Norte, Amazonas State Brazil. In this cross sectional study were examined the faecal material from 81 elderly people using the method of spontaneous sedimentation (Hoffman et al., 1934). It was found a positiveness in 72,8% of the elderly people examined, predominating the mono parasitism (43,2%). The helminths were more frequents (70,3%): Ascaris lumbricoides (35,2%), Trichuris trichiura (16,0%), Ancylostoma duodenale (9,0%) and Strongyloides stercoralis (9,0%). Among the protozoans (29,7%) the most frequents were: Entamoeba colí (18,2%), Giardia lamblia (7,0%) and Entamoeba histolytica (4,5%). %. There was not a significant statistically association between sex and parasitism degree and between aging profiles and parasitism condition. The above results showed a high prevalence of intestinal parasites in the elderly people of this small town. These results are in disagreement with those reported by another researchers when pointed out that parasitism intensity decreased with aging. The above situation demands from the govern authorities urgent measured of control and education, considering the enormous problems that the enteroparasites cause on the nutritional status and health condition of elderly people with low socio-economic level.
Helminths; Protozoans; Elderly; Ascaris lumbricoides; Amazon; Nova Olinda do Norte
