INTRODUCTION: Since intestinal parasites pose public health problems, this work aimed to determine certain epidemiological aspects of these pathologies in elderly individuals from Parnaiba. METHODS: Using the method of Hoffman, 294 fecal samples from individuals 65 years-old or over were analyzed. Each participant responded to a questionnaire used for description analysis of the population. RESULTS: The prevalence of intestinal parasites was 40.5%. The questionnaires showed alarming results regarding the noxious conditions in which this population is inserted. CONCLUSIONS: High prevalence of intestinal parasites exists among the elderly population of Parnaiba, indicating an epidemiological state of some concern.
Intestinal parasite; Elderly; Public Health
