Everyone Healthy Library
Hookworm Infection
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Some health conditions or symptoms can become urgent. Use this page for education, but seek help quickly if warning signs are present.
Get urgent medical care now if there is any severe, sudden, rapidly worsening or worrying symptom, especially:
- chest pain, pressure or pain spreading to the arm, jaw or back
- trouble breathing, blue lips, severe wheeze or choking
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- collapse, fainting, seizure, confusion or extreme drowsiness
- severe bleeding, black stools, vomiting blood or major injury
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- signs of severe dehydration, sepsis, high fever with worsening illness, or symptoms in a baby/young child that concern you
Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Commonality for Central Africais common
Commonality for Central Americais common
Commonality for Chinais common
Commonality for East Africais common
Commonality for South Africais common
Commonality for Sub Saharan Africais common
Commonality for Zimbabweis common
Linked signs and symptoms
14Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
- Anaemia (Anemia)
- Appetite Loss (Anorexia)
- Cough
- Coughing Up Blood (Haemoptysis, Hemoptysis)
- Diarrhoea (Diarrhea)
- Flatulence (Farting)
- Growth Impairment or Stunted
- Pain Abdominal
- Pain in Upper Abdomen (Epigastric Burning)
- Skin Itching Generalized
- Skin Rash
- Swelling (Oedema, Edema)
- Weight Loss (Body Mass Index Decreased)
- Wheezing
Linked drugs / medications
2Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
4Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
24These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
- Alpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Albumin Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Glucose Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Electrophoresis
- Cerebrospinal Fluid White Cell Differential
- Cholesterol Concentration
- D-Dimer Blood Test
- Eosinophils Count
- Ferritin Concentration
- Fibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products, FSPs, Fibrin Breakdown Products, Fbps)
- Fibrin Monomers Test
- Fibrinogen Concentration test
- Fibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay
- Glucagon Concentration Test
- Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Concentration
- haptoglobin (Hp) concentration
- Neutrophil Absolute Count
- Plasminogen Activity
- Potassium Concentration (K, Blood)
- Protein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Urine glucose concentration
- Vitamin B12 (VB12) Concentration
- White Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Biological markers/agents
26This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
23- Albumin (Cerebrospinal Fluid, CSF)Reference range exampleAll: 10–35 mg/dL; All: 56–76 %Linked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Albumin Concentration, Cerebrospinal Fluid Protein Electrophoresis
- Alpha-1 Antintrypsin (AAT)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 90–215 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsAlpha-1 Antitrypsin (AAT) Concentration
- Alpha-1-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.1–0.3 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Alpha-2-Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.6–1 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- Cerebrospinal Fluid LeukocytesReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–5 /µL; 1y - 6y: 0–20 /µLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid White Cell Differential
- Cerebrospinal Fluid Total ProteinReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 15–45 mg/dL; Child (< 10y): 15–70 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Protein Concentration
- Cholesterol (Total)Reference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 75–180 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y): 0–190 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCholesterol Concentration
- D-DimerReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–240 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsD-Dimer Blood Test
- EosinophilsReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 0–3 %; 0–3 %Linked diagnostic testsDifferential White Blood Cell Count Tests, Eosinophil Differential Of Total WBC
- FerritinReference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 7–140 µg/L; Adult ( > 16y), Female: 18–160 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsFerritin Concentration
- Fibrin MonomersReference range example0–10,000 µg/LLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Monomers Test
- Fibrin Split ProductsReference range exampleAll: 0–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products
- FibrinogenReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 150–400 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrinogen Concentration test
- Fibrinopeptide A (FPA)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 0.7–3.1 mg/mL; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 0.35–2.5 mg/mLLinked diagnostic testsFibrinopeptide A (FPA) Action Assay
- Gamma Globulin (Blood, Serum)Reference range exampleAll: 0.8–1.7 gm/dLLinked diagnostic testsProtein Electrophoresis (Blood, Serum Protein)
- GlucagonReference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 0–147 pg/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 20–110 pg/mLLinked diagnostic testsGlucagon Concentration Test
- haptoglobin (Hp)Reference range example45–200 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testshaptoglobin (Hp) concentration
- PlasminogenReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y), Female: 65–153 %; Adult ( > 16y), Male: 70–120 %Linked diagnostic testsPlasminogen Activity
- Potassium (K, Blood)AbbreviationKReference range exampleInfant (0 - 1y): 4.1–5.3 mEq/L; Child (0 - 16y): 3.4–4.7 mEq/LLinked diagnostic testsPotassium Concentration (K, Blood)
- PrealbuminReference range exampleAll: 2–7 %Linked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Protein Electrophoresis
- Segmented NeutrophilsReference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 50–62 %; Adult ( > 16y): 2,500–8,000 mm3Linked diagnostic testsDifferential White Blood Cell Count Tests, Neutrophil Absolute Count
- Urine glucoseReference range example0–2.5; Adult ( > 16y): 0–2.5 mmol/dayLinked diagnostic testsUrine glucose concentration
- White Blood Cell (WBC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 4.5–10.5 million/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 3.2–10 million/mLLinked diagnostic testsWhite Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Often decreased
3- Glucose (Cerebrospinal Fluid)Reference range exampleChild (0 - 16y): 65–85 mg/dL; Adult ( > 16y): 50–72 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsCerebrospinal Fluid Glucose Concentration
- Glucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 10.1–18.5 U/gHb; Birth - 2wks: 12–23 U/gHbLinked diagnostic testsGlucose 6 Phosphate Dehydrogenase (G6PD) Concentration
- Vitamin B12 (VB12)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 130–670 pmol/LLinked diagnostic testsVitamin B12 (VB12) Concentration
Introduction / full article
Hookworm Infection
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Mugwort (Artemisa Vulgaris) [4, 5, 6, 7]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It has been proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has been discounted due life-threatening side effects
Recommendation: No recommendation (There is insufficient evidence to support claims that mugwart helps to treat symptoms of hookworm infections. More research is needed.)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Cats Claw (Uncaria Tomentosa) [3]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It is proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present.
Recommendation: no recomendation (insufficient evidence to support claims that Cats Claw can help to treat hookworm infections)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments
1. http://qjmed.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/pdf_extract/33/1/1
2. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec14/ch182/ch182g.html?qt=hookworm%20infection&alt=sh#sec14-ch182-ch182f-1820a
3. http://www.nutrasanus.com/cats-claw.html
4. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
5. Anliker MD, Borelli S, Wüthrich B. Occupational protein contact dermatitis from spices in a butcher: a new presentation of the mugwort-spice syndrome. Contact Dermatitis. 2002;46:72-74.
6. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/mugwort
7. Fetrow CW, Avila JR. Professional's Handbook of Complementary & Alternative Medicines. Philadelphia, PA: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2004.