Log in Register. Ages and Stages. Healthy Living. Safety and Prevention. Family Life. Health Issues. Tips and Tools. Our Mission. Find a Pediatrician. Text Size. Page Content. Signs and Symptoms Most children with hookworm infections have no signs or symptoms.
How Is the Diagnosis Made? Treatment Antiparasitic drugs are used to treat hookworm infections. Iron supplements help replace the iron your child has lost. What Is the Prognosis? Proper treatment of hookworm infections results in a high recovery rate. The information contained on this Web site should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.
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According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, hookworm infections occur in an estimated to million people worldwide. It mainly affects people in developing nations in the tropics and subtropics due to poor sanitation. These infections rarely occur in the United States. If you do experience symptoms, they generally start with itchiness and a small rash caused by an allergic reaction in the area that the larvae entered your skin. This is generally followed by diarrhea as the hookworms grow in your intestine.
Other symptoms include:. Parasitic hookworms cause these infections. The two major types of hookworms that cause infection are Necator americanus and Ancylostoma duodenale.
The eggs of these hookworms end up on the ground after passing through human feces. They hatch into larvae, which stay in the soil until they have a chance to break through human skin.
You can become infected with hookworms by coming into contact with soil that contains their larvae. The larvae enter your skin, travel through your bloodstream, and enter your lungs. They are carried to your small intestine when you cough them out of the lung and swallow. Fully grown, they can live in your small intestine for a year or more before passing through your feces.
People who live in warm climates in areas with poor hygiene and sanitation are more at risk of developing hookworm infections. Hookworm infections can occur in pets , especially puppies and kittens. If your pet has an infection, you can get it indirectly. The eggs and larvae are found in the dirt where your pet leaves stool. You can get a hookworm infection by touching contaminated dirt with your bare hands or feet. You can also get it by accidentally eating contaminated soil.
To reduce your risk, make sure your pets are vaccinated and dewormed by your veterinarian. Also, avoid walking barefoot in areas where pets leave feces. This is especially important when you might come in contact with animal feces from pets whose health conditions are unknown, such as at a park. If you have a hookworm infection that lasts a long time, you could become anemic. Anemia is characterized by a low red blood cell count, which can contribute to heart failure in severe cases.
Anemia results from hookworms feeding on your blood. Other complications that can develop from these infections include nutritional deficiencies and a condition known as ascites.
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