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Illustrated Health Encyclopedia
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Ency. home > Disease > S > Schistosomiasis

Schistosomiasis    See images

Overview | Symptoms | Treatment | Prevention

Alternative names:

Bilharzia; Katayama fever; Swimmer's itch; Blood fluke

Treatment

  • Praziquantel
  • With acute infection, corticosteroids may be given

Prognosis

Treatment before significant damage or severe complications usually produces good results.

Complications

  • Kidney and bladder obstruction
  • Chronic renal failure
  • Bladder cancer
  • Chronic liver damage with an enlarged spleen
  • Colon inflammation with bloody diarrhea
  • Pulmonary hypertension
  • Right sided heart failure
  • Seizures
  • Recurrent blood infections can occur because bacteria can enter the bloodstream via the inflammed colon

Call Your Health Care Provider If:

Call your health care provider if you have traveled to an area where the disease is known to exist, have had exposure to contaminated or suspect bodies of water, or have developed symptoms suggestive of schistosomiasis.

Ency. home > Disease > S > Schistosomiasis

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