Hookworm Infection: A Neglected Cause of Overt Obscure Gastrointestinal Bleeding.
Korean J Parasitol
; 55(4): 391-398, 2017 Aug.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-28877570
ABSTRACT
Hookworm infections are widely prevalent in tropical and subtropical areas, especially in low income regions. In the body, hookworms parasitize the proximal small intestine, leading to chronic intestinal hemorrhage and iron deficiency anemia. Occasionally, hookworms can cause overt gastrointestinal bleeding, but this is often ignored in heavily burdened individuals from endemic infectious areas. A total of 424 patients with overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding were diagnosed by numerous blood tests or stool examinations as well as esophagogastroduodenoscopy, colonoscopy, capsule endoscopy or double-balloon enteroscopy. All of the patients lived in hookworm endemic areas and were not screened for hookworm infection using sensitive tests before the final diagnosis. The patients recovered after albendazole treatment, blood transfusion, and iron replacement, and none of the patients experienced recurrent bleeding in the follow-up. All the 31 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections without other concomitant bleeding lesions, a rate of 7.3% (31/424). Seventeen out of 227 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections in the capsule endoscopy (CE), and 14 out of 197 patients were diagnosed with hookworm infections in the double balloon enteroscopy (DBE). Hookworm infections can cause overt gastrointestinal bleeding and should be screened in patients with overt obscure gastrointestinal bleeding (OGIB) in endemic infectious areas with sensitive methods. Specifically, the examination of stool specimens is clinically warranted for most patients, and the proper examination for stool eggs relies on staff's communication.
Palavras-chave
Texto completo:
1
Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Contexto em Saúde:
3_ND
Problema de saúde:
3_helminthiasis
/
3_neglected_diseases
/
3_zoonosis
Assunto principal:
Hemorragia Gastrointestinal
/
Infecções por Uncinaria
Tipo de estudo:
Diagnostic_studies
/
Etiology_studies
Limite:
Adult
/
Aged
/
Animals
/
Female
/
Humans
/
Male
/
Middle aged
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Korean J Parasitol
Assunto da revista:
PARASITOLOGIA
Ano de publicação:
2017
Tipo de documento:
Article