Get a printable copy (PDF file) of the complete article (269K), or click on a page image below to browse page by page. In severe cases, it drops down the red blood cell count, which can lead to heart failure.

Symptoms and complications of anemia are treated, if needed. How are complications of infection treated? This treatment helps prevent complications of these infections. The health care provider will likely recommend increasing the amount of protein in your diet. Get a printable copy (PDF file) of the complete article (269K), or click on a page image below to browse page by page. Hookworm infection is mainly acquired by walking barefoot on contaminated soil. However, if anemia occurs, it can be severe in people who have chronic disease or poor nutrition, are pregnant, or are in poor health. Cure the infection; Treat complications of anemia; Improve nutrition; Parasite-killing drugs such as albendazole, mebendazole, or pyrantel pamoate are often prescribed. The most common effect from hookworm infections is the varying degrees of anemia, depending on the level of the infection and the nutritional state of the patient.Patients also can suffer from protein deficiency which manifests as dry hair, skin and edema, but protein loss can have far-reaching effects including reduced immunocompetence and reduced ability to produce gamma globulin (). (Source: excerpt from Hookworm Infection: DPD) You may also want to research other symptoms in our Symptoms Center. In areas where human hookworm infection is common, public health officials sometimes periodically treat people who are likely to be infected with hookworms and other roundworms that are spread through contaminated soil (such as Ascaris and whipworm) with a single dose of albendazole. Full text Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Once these larvae get into human skin, they don’t mature into adults. If an infected person defecates outside (near bushes, in a garden, or field) or if the feces from an infected person are used as fertilizer, eggs are deposited on soil. Antibiotics may be given to treat an infection. Ascariasis is an infection of the small intestine caused by Ascaris lumbricoides, which is a species of roundworm.. Roundworms are a type of parasitic worm. Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms. They can then mature and hatch, releasing larvae (immature worms). Full text Full text is available as a scanned copy of the original print version. Hookworm is a leading cause of maternal and child morbidity in developing countries. Treatment for hookworm infections aims to get rid of the parasites, improve nutrition, and treat complications from anemia. [] An intensely pruritic, erythematous, or vesicular rash appears, usually on the feet or hands; its severity is generally proportionate to the number of infecting larvae. Early symptoms of classic hookworm disease. The most serious effects of hookworm infection are blood loss leading to … Some have gastrointestinal symptoms, especially persons who are infected for the first time. Complications. You may need any of the following depending on how severe the complications are: Removal or change of a catheter may be needed to get rid of the infection.

Hookworm eggs are passed in the feces of an infected person. During the first 1-2 weeks after a cutaneous infection, hookworm produces a local irritation at the site of infection, termed ground itch or dew itch (see the image below). Signs of Hookworm Skin Infection Some hookworms prefer animal hosts, so they don’t thrive as well in humans. Health problems that may result from hookworm infection include: