Human hydatidosis in the district of Evora, Portugal: a clinical-epidemiological study over a quarter of a century.

Abstract

In international studies, Portugal has been included among the countries hyper endemic in hydatidosis, but this criterion is true only for the Alentejo region.To contribute to the advancement of better clinical-epidemiological knowledge of the only hyperendemic district in the country, the district of Evora.Analysis of the clinical epidemiological protocols of 612 patients suffering from hydatidosis, studied over a period of 25 years. Several parameters were selected and a statistical analysis was performed on them, using the calculation of confidence limits and the chi2 test.It was discovered that there was a greater prevalence of hydatidosis among females ( 55.7%) and in the middle age groups; an average occurrence of 25 cases per annum; greater occurrence among patients with dogs (68.5%); hydatidosis was hyperendemic in 11 of the 14 rural counties of the District, mesoendemic in 2 and hypoendemic in 1; the average incidence for the district of Evora was 12.2 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per annum (15.2 cases when the urban parishes of the county of Evora were excluded).The study showed that the district of Evora is the most hyper endemic of all, the epicenter being the county of Alandroal, which boasted one of the highest incidence of hydatidosis in the world: 50.1 cases per 100,000 inhabitants per annum.