Tehran University of Medical Sciences Iranian Journal of Parasitology 1735-7020 9 2 2014 06 15 233 238 EN Nader Ghabouli Mehrabani Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz university of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Ahmad Kousha Tabriz Health Center, Tabriz, Iran. Maryam Khalili Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz university of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Mahmoud Mahami Oskouei Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz university of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Mehdi Mohammadzadeh Tabriz Health Center, Tabriz, Iran. Saber Alizadeh Tabriz Health Center, Tabriz, Iran. Amir Maleksabet Department of Biotechnology, Faculty of Advanced Medical Sciences, Tabriz university of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. Faezeh Hamidi Department of Parasitology, Faculty of Medicine, Tabriz university of Medical Sciences, Tabriz, Iran. 2015 10 14 Background: Hydatidosis, as the most important zoonotic parasitic disease in Iran, has posed many health and economic losses. This study was conducted to investigate the demographic characteristics of hydatid cyst surgeries in hospitals of East Azerbaijan Province, Northwest of Iran. Methods: Demographic characteristics of all patients with hydatid cyst surgery in hospitals of the province, during 2009-2011 were gathered including age, gen-der, occupation, number and location of the cyst, clinical symptoms, place of residence and history of contact with dog. They were extracted from reports of health center and were analyzed using STATA 11 software. Results: Out of 52 hydatid cyst surgeries, 27 cases were females. Mean age of patients was 38.3 yr. Liver was reported as the most involved organ. The most clinical symptoms were abdominal and liver pain. Housewives comprised the most victims of the disease. Forty seven percent of patients had one cyst and 59% had the history of contact with dog. The majority of the patients were liv-ing in rural areas. Conclusion: Due to the high costs of diagnosis and treatment of hydatidosis, collecting data on the prevalence and transmission of the disease as well as on vulnerable groups seems to be essential as the first step in controlling and pre-venting the disease. https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/view/408 https://ijpa.tums.ac.ir/index.php/ijpa/article/download/408/336