14 Common Symptoms of Whipworm Infection

Whipworm is a common parasitic infection that affects hundreds of millions of people every single year. As a matter of fact, studies and statistics show that around 600-800 million people have the infection worldwide. There are quite a few things that could cause a whipworm infection. Firstly, if you eat unwashed fruits that contain the parasite or its eggs that you’ll inadvertently come down with the infection.

This also applies to vegetables that weren’t peeled. If you even hold dirt that contained the parasite or its eggs then proceed to put your hands near your mouth then this is another way that you could ingest the parasite without even knowing. With so many potential causes, it’s hard to avoid the parasite in totality. That being the case, early treatment is the next best thing. That relies on your ability to detect it, which is why we’re taking you three eight of the most common symptoms.

1. Bloody diarrhea

Diarrhea is never fun and often indicates some type of digestive problem. While something as simple as food poisoning could cause diarrhea, it often won’t contain blood. Bloody diarrhea is a red flag that a far more serious condition is at the root of the problem. The official medical term used to describe bloody diarrhea is dysentery which you may have heard of in the past without knowing what it meant.

Salmonella and E. coli are common causes of dysentery. Whipworm infections can also lead to bloody diarrhea though. This is due to the fact that the infection is obstructing the normal operation of your gastrointestinal system. If you notice blood diarrhea then you should go to your doctor and take a stool test so that you can get to the bottom of the problem and get proper treatment immediately.