Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2017 Aug;55(4):417-420.
doi: 10.3347/kjp.2017.55.4.417. Epub 2017 Aug 31.

Hookworm Infection Caused Acute Intestinal Bleeding Diagnosed by Capsule: A Case Report and Literature Review

Xia Tan  1 , Meichu Cheng  1 , Jie Zhang  2 , Guochun Chen  1 , Di Liu  1 , Yexin Liu  1 , Hong Liu  1
Affiliations
Review

Hookworm Infection Caused Acute Intestinal Bleeding Diagnosed by Capsule: A Case Report and Literature Review

Xia Tan et al. Korean J Parasitol. 2017 Aug.

Abstract

Hookworm infections are rare causes of acute gastrointestinal bleeding. We report a middle aged man with primary nephrotic syndrome and pulmonary embolism. During the treatment with steroids and anticoagulants, the patient presented acute massive hemorrhage of the gastrointestinal tract. The results of gastroscopy showed red worms in the duodenum. Colonoscopy and CT angiogram of abdomen were unremarkable. Capsule endoscopy revealed fresh blood and multiple hookworms in the jejunum and ileum. Hookworms caused the acute intestinal bleeding. The patient responded well to albendazole. Hematochezia was markedly ameliorated after eliminating the parasites. Hence, hookworm infection should be considered in the differential diagnosis of a patient with obscure gastrointestinal bleeding. Capsule endoscopy may offer a better means of diagnosis for intestinal hookworm infections.

Keywords: Ancylostoma duodenale; Necator americanus; acute intestinal bleeding; capsule endoscopy; hookworm; nephrotic syndrome; pulmonary embolism.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICT OF INTEREST

We have no conflict of interest related to this study.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
CT angiogram showing multiple pulmonary embolism.
Fig. 2
Fig. 2
Gastroscopy showing red worms swimming in the duodenum.
Fig. 3
Fig. 3
Capsule endoscopy identified hookworms in the patient’s intestine.
Fig. 4
Fig. 4
Another capsule endoscopy identified a hookworm (arrow) in the patient’s intestine.
Fig. 5
Fig. 5
CT angiogram after 6 months showing multiple pulmonary embolism recovered.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Hotez PJ, Brooker S, Bethony JM, Bottazzi ME, Loukas A, Xiao S. Hookworm infection. N Engl J Med. 2004;351:799–807. - PubMed
    1. Owen RL. Parasitic Disease. In: Sleisenger MH, Fordtran JS, editors. Gastrointestinal Disease. Philadelphia, USA: WB Saunders; 1993. pp. 1211–1212.
    1. Thomas V, Harish K, Tony J, Sunilkumar R, Ramachandran TM, Anitha PM. Colitis due to Ancylostoma duodenale. Indian J Gastroenterol. 2006;25:210–211. - PubMed
    1. Dock G, Bass CC. Hookworm Disease. St. Louis, Missouri, USA: CV Mosby Company; 1910. pp. 20–63.
    1. Sharma BC, Bhasin DK, Bhatti HS, Das G, Singh K. Gastrointestinal bleeding due to worm infestation, with negative upper gastrointestinal endoscopy findings: impact of enteroscopy. Endoscopy. 2000;32:314–316. - PubMed

MeSH terms

LinkOut - more resources