Schistosomiasis is caused by parasitic worms and can affect various parts of the body, with symptoms including gastrointestinal and urinary problems, fever, and lung issues. The infection can be acute or chronic and is most common in Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America. The worms enter the body through contaminated water and can affect the intestinal or urinary tract, as well as the genitals. Chronic infection can lead to organ damage and even cancer.
The worm infestation known as schistosomiasis can affect many parts of the body. Therefore, schistosomiasis symptoms include variations such as gastrointestinal problems, urinary problems, fever, and lung problems. The body’s immune reaction to the worms is what causes many of the symptoms rather than the worms directly affecting the body. Two main groups of schistosomiasis symptoms occur depending on whether the infection is acute or long-lasting. Whether the worms infect the intestinal or urogenital tract also affects the diagnosis.
Schistosomiasis is an infection of the body by one of the Schistosoma genera of parasitic worms. Each of the five major worm species that can potentially cause disease has its own geographic distribution. Overall, people living in or visiting Africa, Southeast Asia and South America are most at risk. The worm can cause an acute infection, in which the affected person experiences health problems a few weeks after exposure, or a chronic infection, in which symptoms may not show until years later.
Worms can primarily affect the intestinal or urinary tract along with the genitals. The initial infection occurs through contaminated water, where an immature form of the worm, called a larva, breaks into the skin of people washing clothes or swimming. From the skin, the larva makes its way to the lungs. From the lungs it travels to the liver. In the liver, the worm grows into an adult.
Adult schistosomal worms then use blood vessels radiating from the liver to reach the intestinal or urinary tract. There they live in the blood vessels that feed these areas. Most of the eggs they lay remain in one of these locations, but some manage to escape the body. The ways of escape are either through the intestinal tract in feces or through the urinary tract in urine.
If the eggs are passed in the stool, the symptoms of schistosomiasis are in the intestinal tract. Result blood in the stool and diarrhea. The patient also feels pain in his abdominal area. Laboratory analysts can detect the presence of eggs in stool as part of a diagnosis.
When eggs leave the urinary tract, the urine may also contain blood. The infected person may also experience pain when urinating. A lab can also find eggs in urine.
In addition to problems directly with the urinary tract, eggs and worms can also cause problems with the genitals and reproductive tract in women in particular. Intercourse can be painful, and worms can cause sores in the vagina and cervical areas. Unusual vaginal bleeding is another symptom of schistosomiasis. In men, the prostate and other areas of the reproductive tract can become infected.
More generalized symptoms caused by the infestation include fever, unusual tiredness, and joint or muscle pain. The skin may also break out in a rash as part of an allergic reaction to the presence of the worm eggs in the body. When the worms travel through the lungs, they can also affect a person’s ability to breathe properly or cause a cough.
Chronic cases of schistosomiasis typically include some of these generalized symptoms, but long-term infection can be more dangerous to your health. Parasites can negatively affect the ability of organs to function. The liver can become enlarged, as can the spleen. Organ damage can, over time, also lead to the development of cancer.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
