Schistosomiasis

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Antibodies

Swimmer's itch

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

• Praziquantel
• With acute infection, corticosteroids may be given

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

• Kidney and bladder obstruction
• Chronic renal failure
• Bladder cancer
• Chronic liver damage and an enlarged spleen
• Colon (large intestine) inflammation with bloody diarrhea
• Pulmonary hypertension
• Right-sided heart failure
• Seizures
• Repeated secondary blood infections can occur, because bacteria can enter the bloodstream via the colon if it has become irritated

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.

Review Date: 09/05/2006
Reviewed By: D. Scott Smith, M.D., MSc, DTM&H, Chief of Infectious Disease & Geographic Medicine, Kaiser Redwood City, CA & Adjunct Assistant Professor, Stanford University. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network.