The list of signs and symptoms mentioned in various sources for Hookworm includes the 24 symptoms listed below:
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The list of other diseases or medical conditions that may be on the differential diagnosis list of alternative diagnoses for Hookworm includes:
See the full list of 9 alternative diagnoses for Hookworm
More information about symptoms of Hookworm and related conditions:
Click on any of the symptoms below to see a full list of other causes including diseases, medical conditions, toxins, drug interactions, or drug side effect causes of that symptom.
Medical Books Excerpts Excerpts of published medical book chapters related to Hookworm are available from published medical books for more detailed information about Hookworm.
Copyright notice for book excerpts: Copyright © 2008 Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. All rights reserved.
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16 MEDICAL BOOKS ONLINE! Review excerpts from medical books online, free, without registration, for more information about the symptoms of Hookworm.
Most cases of hookworm disease produce few symptoms and may be overlooked until worms are passed in the stool. The earliest signs and symptoms include irritation, pruritus, and edema at the site of entry, which are sometimes accompanied by secondary bacterial infection with pustule formation.
When the larvae reach the lungs, they may cause pneumonitis and hemorrhage with fever, sore throat, crackles, and cough. Finally, intestinal infection may cause fatigue, nausea, weight loss, dizziness, melena, and uncontrolled diarrhea.
In severe and chronic infection, anemia from blood loss may lead to cardiomegaly (a result of increased oxygen demands), heart failure, and generalized massive edema.
Source: Professional Guide to Diseases (Eighth Edition), 2005
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)
These general reference articles may be of interest in relation to medical signs and symptoms of disease in general:
Full list of premium articles on symptoms and diagnosis
The symptom information on this page attempts to provide a list of some possible signs and symptoms of Hookworm. This signs and symptoms information 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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