The following symptoms and complaints may indicate helminthiasis (worm disease):
Cestodes (tapeworms)
Cyclophyllidae
- Strong sensation of hunger
- Weight loss
- Diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Appendicitis (appendicitis)
Echinococcus [Echinococcosis]
- Upper abdominal discomfort or chest pain (chest pain).
- Occlusive icterus – yellowing of the skin caused by obstruction of the bile ducts.
- Irritative cough, difficulty breathing
- Expectoration (coughing up) of cyst contents,
- Hemoptysis (coughing up blood).
- Pleural lesions (injury to the pleura).
- Hypersensitivity reactions, including allergic shock if necessary.
Hymenoleptidae
- Nonspecific gastrointestinal symptoms
Pseudophyllidae
- Mild symptoms in the gastrointestinal tract (gastrointestinal tract).
- Ileus (intestinal obstruction)
- Anemia (anemia) due to vitamin B12 deficiency.
Nematodes (threadworms)
Ancylostomatidae (hookworms).
- Pruritus (itching)
- Skin redness
- Skin florescences
- Dysphonia (hoarseness)
- Cough
- Löffler syndrome (pulmonary symptoms (lung symptoms), volatile infiltrates and eosinophilia (increase in the number of eosinophilic granulocytes) in the peripheral blood).
- Salivation
- Nausea
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Meteorism (flatulence)
- Weight loss
- Loss of appetite
- Impaired performance due to iron deficiency anemia
Anisakis
- Stomach pain, abdominal pain (abdominal pain), pruritus (itching), vomiting, diarrhea (diarrhea).
- Gastric perforation with peritonitis (inflammation of the peritoneum).
Angiostrongylidae
- Severe headache, meningismus (painful neck stiffness).
- Fever
- Nausea (nausea), vomiting, anorexia (loss of appetite), abdominal pain (abdominal pain).
- Neurological focal symptoms such as eye muscle paralysis, paresthesias (sensory disturbances), psychotic disorders.
Ascarididae (roundworms).
- Cough
- Bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchi)
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
- Löffler syndrome (pulmonary symptoms (lung symptoms), volatile infiltrates and eosinophilia (increase in the number of eosinophilic granulocytes) in the peripheral blood).
- Asthma attacks due to eosinophilic pneumonia (pneumonia), episodes of wheezing or “asthma“.
- Fever episodes
- Ileus (intestinal obstruction)
- Icterus (yellowing)
- Weight loss, if applicable
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Nausea (nausea)/vomiting
- Epileptic seizures
- Paresis (signs of paralysis), unspecified.
- Visual disturbances
Enterobius [oxyuriasis; pinworms/ pinworm]
- Pruritus (itching) – perianal/”around the anus” (during nighttime sleep/especially early morning).
- Failure to thrive/behave
- Inflammation of the genital organs
- Appendicitis (appendicitis)
- Intestinal perforation (intestinal perforation)
- Peritonitis
Other possible symptoms of oxyuriasis due to perianal pruritus (anal itching):
- Ulcerations (excoriations) – due to scratching in the perianal area; possibly also bacterial superinfection.
- Anal eczema
- Perianal folliculitis (inflammation of a hair follicle).
- Ischiorectal abscess
Note: 40% of affected individuals are oligo- or asymptomatic. Filiariidae (nematode).
- Skin swelling
- Dermatitis (inflammatory reaction of the skin).
- Elephantiasis (abnormal enlargement of a body part due to lymphatic congestion).
- Lymphangitis (inflammation of the lymphatic vessels).
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement)
- Localized bulging edema (water retention), usually on the forearms or face.
- Migration of the conjunctiva (pathognomonic in Loa loa).
- Pruritus (itching)
- Pigmentation disorders
- Conjunctivitis (conjunctivitis)
- Keratitis (corneal inflammation)
- Onchocerciasis (river blindness) – chronic disease caused by filariae of the species Onchocerca volvulus from the group of nematodes and leads to blindness in about 10% of sufferers.
- Chorioretinitis – inflammation of the choroid (choroid) with retinal (retina) involvement.
Rhabditidae
- Severe pruritus (itching)
- Localized inflammation of the skin/crusting (larva migrans externa syndrome).
- Pneumonia (pneumonia)
- Chronic bronchitis
- Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
- Pneumonia (pneumonia)
- Acute respiratory distress attacks
- Nausea (nausea)
- Diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Constipation (constipation)
- Colicky abdominal pain
Spiruridae
- Blistering/inflammation on the skin.
- Erythema (redness of the skin)
- Hypersensitivity of the affected skin area
- Ulceration (ulceration)
- Bacterial superinfection of the ulcer
- Fever
- Nausea (nausea), vomiting
- Painful lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement).
- Orchitis (inflammation of the testicles)
- Funiculitis (inflammation of the spermatic cord)
- Lymphatic congestion of the extremities
Toxocara canis/-cati
- Visual acuity loss (loss of visual acuity).
- Localization in the muscles, liver, lungs, or central nervous system is possible
Trichinella (trichinosis) [trichinellosis].
- Nausea (nausea), vomiting.
- Diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Facial edema with swelling of the eyelids
- Conjunctivitis (conjunctivitis)
- Myalgia (muscle pain)
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement)
- High fever
- Myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle)
- Pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs)
- Cough
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorder)
- Meningitis/encephalitis (inflammation of the brain (skin))
- Cephalgia (headache)
- Insomnia (sleep disturbance)
- Rheumatoid complaints
- Exanthema, unspecified
- Petechiae – small skin hemorrhages.
Trichuridae (whipworms).
- Bloody diarrhea (diarrhea).
- Colic
- Failure to thrive
- Anemia (anemia)
Trematodes (sucking worms)
Fasciolopsis buski (large intestinal fluke, giant intestinal fluke).
- Diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Flatulence
- Hemorrhages (bleeding)
- Mucosal ulcerations (ulcers of the mucous membrane)
- Facial edema
- Ascites (abdominal dropsy)
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Yellowish-greenish stools
- Biliousness
Fasciola hepatica (liver fluke)
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Anorexia (loss of appetite)
- Feeling of fullness
- Diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Fever
- Icterus (jaundice)
- Cholecystitis (gallbladder inflammation)
- Hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
- Dysphagia (swallowing disorder)
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
Paragonimus (lung fluke)
- Dyspnea (shortness of breath)
- Cough with yellowish-brownish cough.
- Hemoptysis (coughing up blood)
- Night sweats (night sweats)
- Chest pain (chest pain)
- Fever
- Pleurisy (pneumonia) with effusion
- Pneumonia (pleurisy)
- Diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Tenesmus (abdominal cramps)
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement).
- Cephalgia (headache)
- Epileptic seizures
- Neurological deficits, unspecified
- Spastic paraplegia – paralysis of all extremities.
- Encephalitis (inflammation of the brain)
- Meningitis (meningitis)
- Affection of the heart, unspecified
- Subcutaneous granulomas
Schistosoma [schistosomiasis; bilharzia]
- Pruritus [itching)
- Fleabite dermatitis in the area of the skin site through which Schistosoma has penetrated
- Generalized urticaria (hives).
- Fever, chills
- Cephalgia (headache)
- Cough
- Edema (water retention)
- Intermittent diarrhea (diarrhea)
- Abdominal pain (abdominal pain)
- Rectal bleeding
- Fatigue
- Anemia (anemia)
- Dysuria – pain during urination
- Hematuria – blood in the urine
- Urinary tract infections
- Bronchitis (inflammation of the bronchi)
- Acute hepatitis (inflammation of the liver)
- Lymphadenopathy (lymph node enlargement).
- Granulomatous growths especially on the liver, urinary bladder and rectum.