[Taeniasis and primary care].

OBJECTIVE

To evaluate the therapeutic guidelines used in evaluating taeniasis in primary care (mebendazole, pyrantel pamoate) and to show the low availability of first choice drugs (niclosamide, praziquantel).

DESIGN

A retrospective, descriptive study.

SETTING

A clinic for travellers abroad in the Tropical Medicine section (Infectious Diseases Service) of the Hospital Clínic, Barcelona.

PARTICIPANTS

68 medical histories of cases of Taeniasis seen at this clinic between 1984 and 1994.

RESULTS

72.3% had not travelled to the tropics (autochthonous Taeniasis). The most common symptoms were epigastralgia, anal pruritus, diarrhoea, weight loss and bulimia. 71.2% had previously attended other medical services and all had been correctly diagnosed. 91.8% had received ineffective treatment (the most common treatment was with mebendazole and pyrantel pamoate), sometimes on different occasions. Time elapsed between diagnosis and correct treatment varied from 1 day to 36 months.

CONCLUSION

Taeniasis is an easily diagnosed infestation. Its treatment is comfortable and effective, with an average cure period of 24 hours. However, the particular medicines are not available in primary care, which hampers and delays treatment.