{"id":6356,"date":"2019-05-03T05:45:17","date_gmt":"2019-05-03T05:45:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/?p=6356"},"modified":"2021-04-05T15:08:05","modified_gmt":"2021-04-05T15:08:05","slug":"14-common-symptoms-of-hookworm-infection","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/simplyhealth.today\/14-common-symptoms-of-hookworm-infection\/","title":{"rendered":"14 Common Symptoms of Hookworm Infection"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Hookworm is a parasite that enters through the skin in some parts of the world. This illness affects between 550 million to 750 million people worldwide and although most people recover from it there are situations where can turn deadly. The most common route for infection is walking barefoot on soil that has been contaminated by human feces. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

That\u2019s because the eggs of the hookworm are contained in human feces and end up on the ground after hitching a ride in the stool. These eggs eventually hatch into larvae and they remain in the soil until they have a chance to enter into the human body through the skin. In developed parts of the world, chances of getting this parasitic infection are almost 0, but in undeveloped countries, and especially in the tropical and subtropical regions, walking barefoot through areas or exposing other parts of the body to a soil that may have been contaminated with human feces can lead to hookworm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Skin Rash<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

One of the first symptoms that you may notice is a skin rash <\/a>in one particular area of the body. This will typically be red and itchy and the skin will be raised above the other parts the skin. This may lead to a skin infection called creeping eruption or cutaneous larva migrans. This is more serious than the standard skin rash and it may mean that your skin breaks out in blisters, that you have a red growing rash and that you itch horribly. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The rash can continue to grow by several centimeters every day. Generally, the skin rash that comes with this illness will appear on the part of the body that was infected by the hookworm larvae in the first place. For example, the palms of the hands or the soles of the feet are common places for the rash to break out but there may be other locations as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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2. Weight Loss<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Weight loss may also be a symptom that you experience. There are several reasons why this happens. For one thing, you do not feel like eating as much when you have hookworm <\/a>infection. This alone can lead to weight loss and some people. However, this does not usually lead to a significant amount of weight loss, so you may not even notice this as a symptom. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But there are a few other reasons why hookworm infection can result in weight loss as well. When you have a hookworm infection, the protein inside the body can be used up rapidly by the hookworm. This results in not being able to build muscle very fast and the loss of current muscle tissue as well as the reduction in calories that come from losing much of the protein you take in every day.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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3. Reduced Appetite<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

In many cases, you also have a loss of appetite. This is a fairly common symptom of the illness in humans, but it is the primary symptom when it comes to hookworm infection <\/a>in dogs. If your pet has a hookworm infection, one of the first things that you will notice is that they are unwilling to you \u2013 even if it is food that they have always loved in the past. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Having a reduced appetite can also be a symptom of hookworm with humans as well. You may notice that you are not eating as much as he used to, that you do not enjoy foods the same way that you did before and that you are losing weight because you are not eating as much as you used to. Loss of appetite is actually a pretty common sign among many illnesses out there, so you do want to get checked out if you find yourself with the symptom, but it could be attributed to hookworm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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4. Stomach Pain<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Stomach pain can also accompany all of the other gastrointestinal symptoms that we have been discussing here. Stomach pain can be caused by the presence of this infection <\/a>in the gastrointestinal system. Unfortunately, there isn\u2019t a whole lot that you can do about this stomach pain except to get rid of the disease altogether, and even worse, it can affect many other areas of your life. For example, many of the symptoms that we have been discussing here are all interrelated. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

When you have stomach pain, lack of appetite, nausea and weight loss, it all can be traced back to the same cause, which includes the very next symptom that we are going to be discussing. The bottom line is that hookworm infection can cause a variety of gastrointestinal symptoms all across the board. If you contracted this infection, then you can expect to experience many of the symptoms, and the only way to get rid of them is to temporarily treat them with over-the-counter medication or help your body to eradicate the illness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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5. Diarrhea<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Another common symptom is diarrhea which is actually a good thing in many cases. The reason the diarrhea <\/a>happens is that your body is trying to remove toxins from itself. That means that it is possible that you can get rid of some of the infection causing substances in your body and help slow down the progress of the illness. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, everyone who has had diarrhea knows that it is no fun to experience it, but try to look at it in a positive way because it is one way that your body helps to expel foreign substances that are already within the digestive system much in the same way be your body tries to expel foreign substances through vomiting that are located within the stomach.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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6. Fatigue<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Whenever you have an illness, you can pretty much count on having tea. Fatigue <\/a>and the associated symptoms such as muscle weakness, sleeping more than usual, low energy levels and all of the rest can be attributed to a single cause \u2013 your body attempting to fight the infection that is within. Your body only has so much energy that it can use to get through the day. Food is what provides the energy as well as any fat stores or other reserves that your body has in storage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when you\u2019re not eating as much as you usually do, and your body is fighting a full-scale war against hookworm, it is no wonder that you are going to feel tired and just want to lay down and sleep. The good news is, laying down and going to sleep may be the best thing for you to do to get rid of your illness. Only when all of the bodily systems are shut down during deep sleep can your white blood cells concentrate on eliminating the infection with their full attention.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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7. Blood in the Stool<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Blood <\/a>in the stool is a dead giveaway that there is something wrong in the body. If you experience this symptom, then you definitely want to talk to your doctor and get tested and find out what is going on. A stool sample can tell a great deal about what is going on inside your body, and your doctor may ask you to give another stool sample for testing. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although most people do not want to look in the toilet after they have gone to the bathroom, it can definitely be an early warning sign if you notice blood in your stool, so if you\u2019re feeling sick than this may be something you want to pay attention to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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8. Anemia<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, anemia <\/a>can be a major symptom of hookworm infection. Iron deficiency anemia or malnutrition can definitely come when a hookworm infection has advanced. This anemia is a very serious problem, particularly when hookworm happens in children because they are not able to develop physically and mentally the way that they should. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

In addition, this anemia can lead to serious problems that could result in death such as heart failure, tissue swelling across the entire body in other issues that are very serious and require immediate treatment. If you notice that you have any of the symptoms of hookworm, and you believe that you could be at risk for contracting the illness, then you definitely want to seek medical attention as soon as possible.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

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