This is an automatically translated article.
Question
Hello doctor,
I have been tested and infected with gnathostomiasis. So the doctor asked me, what are the effects of female gnathostomiasis? Thank you doctor.
Vu Thi Phuong Uyen (1984)
Answer
Answered by Master, Doctor Nguyen Thi Nhat - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine, Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
Hello,
To the question “What are the effects of female gnathostomiasis? ”, the doctor would like to answer as follows:
Human gnathostomiasis is an infectious disease caused by the larvae of Gnathostoma spinigerum from dogs and cats.
Symptoms of the disease:
Systemic: The disease has an incubation period of 3-7 days. Patients may have symptoms such as mild weakness, fever, urticaria, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fatigue. Larvae migrate to the skin and soft tissues, manifesting as multiple motile tumors under the skin, pain, itching, sometimes swelling, and redness in many areas of the skin such as allergic reactions. It can then form abscesses or subcutaneous tunnels in the hip, thoracic, and temporal regions and end when larvae emerge from subcutaneous abscesses. The larvae migrate to the lungs causing symptoms such as cough, chest pain, shortness of breath, coughing up blood, coughing up worms, causing pneumonia, pleural effusion, lung abscess. Larvae migrate to the digestive system causing symptoms like appendicitis, cholecystitis, intestinal tumor or mistaken for symptoms of gastric ulcer, duodenal ulcer, acute pancreatitis,... transferred to the liver, causing fever and pain in the liver, which is easily misdiagnosed with hepatitis. Urinary system: Blood in the urine, urinary tract infection,... Digestive system: When larvae move to the digestive system, they will cause symptoms similar to appendicitis. iris, uveitis, haemorrhage in the eye, blindness,... Ear: Hearing loss or tinnitus Central nervous system: Myelitis radiculopathy (most common), encephalitis - myelitis - root neuropathy, encephalitis - meningoencephalitis, cerebral hemorrhage,... Pain involving nerve roots, followed by paralysis or decreased sensation for a few days. Cranial nerve palsy, limb paralysis, urinary incontinence. Brain: Causes encephalitis, brain hemorrhage, can cause disability or death. Currently, there is no specific treatment as well as an effective regimen for this worm. The drugs can be used such as Ivermectin, Albendazole, Mebendazole, Corticosteroids. You need to go to a specialist for examination and treatment so that the doctor can prescribe treatment and monitor the disease.
If you still have questions about women infected with gnathostomiasis, you can go to the hospital of Vinmec Health System for further examination and advice. Thank you for trusting and sending questions to Vinmec. Wishing you lots of health.
Best regards!
Please dial HOTLINE for more information or register for an appointment HERE. Download MyVinmec app to make appointments faster and to manage your bookings easily.