What Are the Different Types of Hookworm Treatment?

Hookworm disease is a disease caused by hookworms parasitizing the human small intestine. Clinically, the main manifestations are anemia, malnutrition, and gastrointestinal dysfunction. In severe cases, it can cause developmental disorders and cardiac insufficiency.

Basic Information

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Infectious Diseases

Common causes

Hookworm parasites the human small intestine

Common symptoms

Anemia, malnutrition, gastrointestinal disorders

Contagious

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Causes of hookworm disease

Hookworm disease is a disease caused by hookworms parasitizing the human small intestine. The life history of the two hookworms parasitizing the human body is the same. After the eggs are discharged with the feces, rod-shaped tadpoles can hatch in warm and humid soil within 1 to 2 days, and then transform into slender filamentous tadpoles within 5-8 days . The filamentous tadpole penetrates into the human skin and follows the blood flow to reach the lungs, and then crawls along the respiratory tract until the epiglottis is swallowed into the digestive tract. Adults live 2 to 10 years.

1. Pathogenic effects of larvae

Larvae invade the human skin and cause leptodermal dermatitis, and small red pimples may appear on local skin.

2. Damage caused by adults

Adults of hookworms adhere to the small intestinal mucosal villi with a sac and feed on the mucosal epithelium and blood. Adults often change the adsorption site and secrete anticoagulant substances, so the mucous membrane adsorbed by hookworms constantly oozes, causing chronic blood loss and plasma protein loss.

Clinical manifestations of hookworm

The symptoms of hookworm disease are mainly caused by hookworms and adults, but the symptoms caused by adults are longer and more severe.

1. Symptoms caused by hookworm

(1) Dermatitis Uncariatus invades the skin with a strange itch and burning sensation, followed by small bleeding points, pimples, and herpes. Dermatitis occurs mostly between the fingers or toes, the back of the foot, the ankle, etc., and can disappear within a few days. Scratching can be secondary to bacterial infection, local lymphadenopathy, and occasionally transient urticaria.

(2) 3 to 5 days after the infection of respiratory symptoms , patients often have cough, itching of the throat, hoarseness, etc .; severe cases show severe dry cough and asthma attacks, manifested as eosinophilic asthma, and bloodshot sputum may appear. . X-ray examination showed increased lung texture or hilar shadow hyperplasia, and occasionally short-term lung invasive lesions could be found.

2. Symptoms caused by adults

Those who have hookworm eggs in the stool without obvious symptoms are called "hookworm infection", and those who have hookworm eggs in the stool and chronic clinical symptoms are called "hookworm disease".

(1) Most patients with symptoms of digestive system gradually develop upper abdominal discomfort or pain, loss of appetite, diarrhea, fatigue, weight loss, etc. 1 to 2 months after infection.

(2) Symptoms of the blood circulation system Progressive anemia gradually appears 3 to 5 months after severe infection, manifested as dizziness, tinnitus, palpitations, and shortness of breath. Long-term severe anemia can cause anemia heart disease, which manifests as enlarged heart and accelerated heart rate. Severe anemia is often accompanied by hypoproteinemia and edema of the lower extremities or the whole body. The degree of anaemia of circulatory system symptoms directly affects the circulatory system, especially the cardiac metabolic function. The patient's skin and mucous membranes were pale, and the lower extremities were slightly edematized. They were also short of breath, palpitations, weakness in the extremities, tinnitus, dizziness, dizziness, and mental retardation. Severe infection is marked by systemic edema, mild dyspnea, palpitations and pain in the precardiac area after mild activity, fast and weak pulse, enlarged whole heart, obvious systolic murmur and diastolic murmur. Hepatic dysfunction is commonly seen with hepatomegaly, tenderness, lung snoring, and ascites.

3. Other

Children with severe illness may have growth and development disorders, mental retardation, sexual dysplasia, dwarfism and other manifestations. Adult patients also often have amenorrhea, impotence, hyposexuality, infertility, etc. Pregnant women with severe infections are prone to pregnancy poisoning, premature birth, stillbirth and so on.

Hookworm test

1. Fecal eggs inspection

2. Occult blood test

Can be positive.

3. Blood image

There are often varying degrees of anemia, which belongs to small cell low pigment anemia. Eosinophils may be increased.

4.X-ray chest examination

There may be changes in lung texture, scattered flaky shadows, and interstitial structure of the lung.

Hookworm diagnosis

Clinical diagnosis

In the endemic area of hookworm disease, the possibility of this disease can be considered in the history of exposure, uncle dermatitis, and anemia of varying severity, malnutrition, gastrointestinal disorders, and epigastric pain.

2. Etiological diagnosis

To diagnose hookworm, a pathogen must be found.

(1) Examination of worm eggs Take the stool to look for worm eggs under the microscope with a direct coating method. The detection rate is low and can be done several times.

(2) Adult identification If the worm body is found, it can be submitted for identification in 70% ethanol.

Hookworm treatment

General treatment

Anemia and hypoproteinemia are the main manifestations of this disease, so it is very important to give enough iron and supplement a high protein diet to improve anemia and eliminate symptoms.

General cases should be supplemented with iron after anthelmintic treatment, but those with severe infection and severe anemia should be corrected first. Blood transfusion is only suitable for pregnant women or those with severe anemia, who have been combined with anemia heart failure and heart failure. Blood transfusion helps to improve heart function.

2. Deworming treatment

There are many types of anti-hookworm drugs, which often require multiple repeated treatments to cure them. Combination therapy is available for severe and mixed infections. Treat symptomatically.