Many people have no symptoms, but signs of a hookworm infection include skin rash, fever, stomach pain and diarrhea. Skin rash on the feet where the larvae entered the body. Fever. Coughing or wheezing. Abdominal pain. Loss of appetite. Diarrhea. Weight loss. Anemia.
What happens if hookworm goes untreated?
While most people who are infected don't experience any symptoms at all, the disease can cause serious damage if left untreated—especially for pregnant women and young children. Over time, the worms feed on blood, resulting in internal blood loss, malnutrition, and anemia.
Can you feel hookworms in your body?
At first, you might have an itchy rash where the hookworms entered your skin. If the infection is mild, you may not have any other symptoms. But when it's more severe, it can cause: Belly pain.
How do you get rid of hookworms in your body?
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.
What are the 3 stages of hookworm infection?
Eggs are passed in the stool , and under favorable conditions (moisture, warmth, shade), larvae hatch in 1 to 2 days. The released rhabditiform larvae grow in the feces and/or the soil , and after 5 to 10 days (and two molts) they become filariform (third-stage) larvae that are infective .
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