PREVALENCE OF CANDIDIASIS AMONG PEOPLE. A RETROSPECTIVE CROSS SECTIONAL STUDY IN IRAQ

*Dr. Israa Tareq Mahmood

ABSTRACT

Background: Candidiasis is an infection caused by Candida fungi, most of by Candida albicans.[1] These fungi are found almost everywhere in the environment. Aim: To determine the prevalence of candidiasis among people at different age groups which are attending the clinics in the hospitals during the study period. Methods: A retrospective cross sectional study was carried out at the Life Statistics Center of the Iraqi Ministry of Health within 6months. During this period, the study samples were 24149. Data was entered to Excel sheet and the STATA software program was used to analyze this data and make tables. Results: - The highest percentage of cases were (78.1%) in the age 15 to 49 years old, (2.8%) were male and (97.2%) were female [Table 2]. The high frequency of cases occurred in Baghdad (32.2%), followed by (13.8%), (12.3%) in Nieveh, Salah Al-Deen, respectively. Conclusion: Majority of cases occurred in the age groups 15 to 49 years old, the female cases were more than male cases. The most of cases occurred in the east and north of Iraq. We need awareness of the burden of fungal infections by the healthcare stakeholders in Iraq.

Keywords: Candidiasis, Prevalence, Iraq, Gender, Age.