Anthelminthic medications (drugs that rid the body of parasitic worms), such as albendazole and mebendazole, are the drugs of choice for treatment of hookworm infections. Infections are generally treated for 1-3 days. The recommended medications are effective and appear to have few side effects.
How are hookworms treated in humans?
Common drugs for intestinal hookworm include albendazole, mebendazole, and pyrantel pamoate. To treat infection by hookworm larvae, you can put the drug thiabendazole on your skin or take a medicine like albendazole or ivermectin by mouth. Supplements. Iron supplements can treat anemia from the infection.
Are hookworms easy to treat?
The condition is easily treated but can cause mild to extreme discomfort in the affected person. One species of hookworm that infects dogs is known to develop in the human intestine, too, where it may cause disease.
Are hookworms serious in humans?
Most people infected with hookworms have no symptoms. Some have gastrointestinal symptoms, especially persons who are infected for the first time. The most serious effects of hookworm infection are blood loss leading to anemia, in addition to protein loss.
How long do hookworms last in humans?
The larvae follow the digestive tract into the small intestine, where they attach to the walls, grow and mature. Fertilized eggs leave your body in your stool to infect another host. The whole process can take two to three months. The worms can live in your body for two years or more.
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