The list of medical symptoms mentioned in various sources for Hookworm may include:
Note that Hookworm symptoms usually refers to various medical symptoms known to a patient, but the phrase Hookworm signs may often refer to those signs that are only noticable by a doctor.
Itching and a rash at the site of where skin touched soil or sand is usually the first sign of infection. These symptoms occur when the larvae penetrate the skin. While a light infection may cause no symptoms, heavy infection can cause anemia, abdominal pain, diarrhea, loss of appetite, and weight loss. Heavy, chronic infections can cause stunted growth and mental development. (Source: excerpt from Hookworm Infection: DPD)
Diarrhea,
particularly in person who has never been infected, sometimes starts
as the worms mature in the intestines and before eggs appear in the
stool. Other signs and symptoms at this stage include vague
abdominal pain, intestinal cramps, colic, and
nausea.
Scientists have learned that people in good health
and on a diet containing adequate iron can tolerate the presence of
these worms in small or moderate numbers without having problems. In
chronic infections, if the number of parasites becomes great enough,
a person can develop serious anemia because of blood loss from the
worms attaching themselves to the intestine and sucking the blood
and tissue juices.
If humans come into contact with larvae of
the dog hookworm or the cat hookworm, or larvae of certain other
hookworms that do not infect humans, the larvae may penetrate the
skin. But these larvae cannot complete their migratory cycle in
humans. Instead, they move just below the skin producing snake-like
markings and intense itching. This is referred to as a creeping
eruption or cutaneous larva migrans.
Ancylostoma
canium, an illness caused by a particular species of dog
hookworm, has been described in Australia. This worm may almost
complete its development in the lower small intestine, but produces
a severe inflammatory reaction in the bowel, causing abdominal pain,
diarrhea, and an increase in certain white blood cells called
eosinophils. (Source: excerpt from Parasitic Roundworm Diseases, NIAID Fact Sheet: NIAID)
More detailed symptom information may be found on the symptoms of Hookworm article. In addition to the above medical information, to get a full picture of the possible signs or symptoms of this condition and also possibly the signs and symptoms of its related medical conditions, it may be necessary to examine symptoms that may be caused by:
These general reference articles may be related to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
The phrase "signs of Hookworm" should, strictly speaking, refer only to those signs and symptoms of Hookworm that are not readily apparent to the patient. The word "symptoms of Hookworm" is the more general meaning; see symptoms of Hookworm.
The signs and symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Hookworm. This medical information about signs and symptoms for Hookworm has been gathered from various sources, may not be fully accurate, and may not be the full list of Hookworm signs or Hookworm symptoms. Furthermore, signs and symptoms of Hookworm may vary on an individual basis for each patient. Only your doctor can provide adequate diagnosis of any signs or symptoms and whether they are indeed Hookworm symptoms.
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