Social factors associated with pulmonary hydatid cyst in Aegean, Turkey

Abstract

Pulmonary hydatid cysts are caused by larval forms of the tapeworm Echinococcus granulosus. Hydatid disease, which is endemic in Turkey, is an important health problem in agricultural and stockbreeding areas where there are insufficient environmental health and preventive medicine services. Previous studies on this topic reported that hydatid disease was frequently associated with stockbreeding in rural areas. In this retrospective clinical study, it is aimed to evaluate the social factors associated with pulmonary hydatid cyst in the Aegean region of Turkey. Seventy-one pulmonary hydatid cyst cases reported between 1998 and 2010 in four hospitals in the Aegean region for which data were available on social and lifestyle factors were reviewed. In contrast to expectations, we found that pulmonary hydatid disease in the Aegean region was associated with city rather than rural life and with occupations other than stockbreeding. The findings are attributed to the presence of uncontrolled dogs in the city and urban environmental pollution. The offices of the public administration have a responsibility to inform citizens about the control of street animals, environmental health, and food hygiene.