Hookworm infection

For a lay person:

Hookworm infection is caused by small worms that live in the intestine and feed on blood. People catch it when larvae in contaminated soil get through the skin, usually of bare feet, and long-term infection can cause iron-deficiency anaemia, especially in children and pregnant women.

For a trained medical person:

Caused by Ancylostoma duodenale and Necator americanus, whose larvae penetrate skin, migrate via the lungs and attach to the small-bowel mucosa, causing chronic blood loss, iron-deficiency anaemia and protein loss. Diagnosis is by stool microscopy for ova, with full blood count and iron studies. Treatment is a benzimidazole such as albendazole or mebendazole plus iron replacement, with sanitation and footwear for prevention.

In Chinese medicine:

Liu and Tseng's textbook differentiates this condition into these patterns: Mild Case of Anemia; Moderate Case of Anemia; Severe Case of Anemia. Treatment follows the pattern a patient presents with, not the Western diagnosis alone.

When to get help: See a doctor for worms, ongoing tiredness or paleness, especially in children or pregnancy; anthelmintic medicine is needed to clear the infection, and Chinese medicine is adjunctive at most.