The worm infestation known as schistosomiasis can affect many parts of the body. Therefore, the symptoms of schistosomiasis include variations such as gastrointestinal problems, urinary problems, fever, and lung problems. The body's immune reaction to the worms is what causes many of the symptoms rather than the worms directly affecting the body. There are two main groups of symptoms of schistosomiasis depending on whether the infection is acute or long-lasting. Whether the worms infect the intestinal or urogenital tract also affects the diagnosis.
Schistosomiasis is an infection of the body caused by one of the parasitic germs of the genus Schistosoma. Each of the five main species of worms that can potentially cause the disease has its own geographic distribution. In general, people who live in or visit Africa, Southeast Asia, and South America are at higher risk. The worm can cause an acute infection, where the affected person experiences health problems a few weeks after exposure, or a chronic infection, where symptoms may not appear until years later.
The worms can mainly affect the intestinal or urinary tract along with the genitals. Initial infection is through contaminated water, where an immature form of the worm, called a larva, breaks through the skin of people washing clothes or swimming. From the skin, the larva reaches the lungs. From the lungs, it travels to the liver. In the liver, the worm develops into an adult.
Adult schistosomal worms use blood vessels radiating from the liver to travel to the intestinal or urinary tract. There, they live in the blood vessels that feed these areas. Most of the eggs they lay remain in one of these places, but some manage to escape from the body. The modes of escape are through the intestinal tract in the feces or through the urinary tract in the urine.
If the eggs escape in the stool, the symptoms of schistosomiasis are related to the intestinal tract. Blood in the stool and diarrhea occur. The patient also feels pain in his abdominal area. Laboratory analysts can detect the presence of eggs in the stool as part of a diagnosis.
When the eggs leave the urinary tract, the urine may also contain blood. The infected person may also feel pain when urinating. A lab can also find eggs in urine.
In addition to problems directly with the urinary tract, eggs and worms can also cause problems with the genitals and reproductive tract in women in particular. Intercourse can be painful, and the worms can cause sores in the vagina and cervical areas. Unusual vaginal bleeding is another symptom of schistosomiasis. In men, the prostate and other areas of the reproductive tract can become infected.
More widespread symptoms caused by the infestation include fever, unusual tiredness, and joint or muscle pain. The skin can also break out in a rash as part of an allergic reaction to the presence of the worm eggs in the body. When the worms travel through the lungs, they can also affect a person's ability to breathe properly or cause a cough.
Chronic cases of schistosomiasis usually include some of these generalized symptoms, but long-term infection can be more dangerous to health. Parasites can negatively affect the organs' ability to function. The liver can become enlarged, as can the spleen. Organ damage, over time, can also lead to the development of cancer.