A 60-year-old woman surnamed Chang (張) in Changhua County, after suffering from loss of appetite over a one-month period, has discovered she has strongyloides stercoralis, or threadworm, a hospital said.
Doctor Chen Chung-hung (陳忠宏) of the Chang Bing Show Chwan Memorial Hospital in Changhua County said Chang also had open wounds that would not heal.
Chang had visited local clinics that said her wounds were due to cellulitis and prescribed antibiotics, Chen said, adding that the patient had come to the hospital after treatment proved ineffective.
The hospital ruled out indigestion and arranged for Chang to stay at the hospital for a series of medical checkups, including blood tests, a gastroscopy and a colonoscopy.
During a stomach scan the hospital observed inflammation of the gastric membrane mucosa and took a biopsy for examination, Chen said.
The hospital discovered the bodies of dead threadworms in the biopsy and suspected they were the cause of Chang’s lack of appetite and her weight loss, Chen said
The patient was prescribed antiparasitics to treat the condition.
Chang might have become infected after stepping on feces while walking barefooted, Chen said, adding that people should at least wear plastic slippers when working in fields.
Threadworms have been known to lay dormant in the body for decades.
The usual path of infection is through wounds coming into contact with fecal matter, Chen said, adding that mature threadworms might eventually relocate to the lungs or other internal organs and cause health problems.
However, due to a lack of external indications, it is difficut to isolate and identify symptoms as being caused by threadworm infection, Chen said.
Chen also called on people to boil vegetables before eating to minimize the chance of eating insects that might later cause health problems.
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