Schistosomiasis | |
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Other names | Bilharzia, snail fever, Katayama fever[1][2] |
11-year-old boy with abdominal fluid and portal hypertension due to schistosomiasis (Agusan del Sur, Philippines) | |
Pronunciation | |
Specialty | Infectious disease |
Symptoms | Abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, blood in the urine[5] |
Complications | Liver damage, cirrhosis, kidney failure, infertility (both male and female), bladder calcification, urethral obstruction, nephrotic syndrome, bladder cancer[5] |
Causes | Schistosomes from freshwater snails[5] |
Diagnostic method | Finding eggs of the parasite in urine or stool, antibodies in blood[5] |
Prevention | Access to clean water[5] |
Medication | Praziquantel[5] |
Frequency | 252 million (2015)[6] |
Deaths | 4,400–200,000[7][8] |
Schistosomiasis, also known as snail fever, bilharzia, and Katayama fever,[1][2][9] is a disease caused by parasitic flatworms called schistosomes.[5] The urinary tract or the intestines may be infected.[5] Symptoms include abdominal pain, diarrhea, bloody stool, or blood in the urine.[5] Those who have been infected for a long time may experience liver damage, kidney failure, infertility, or bladder cancer.[5] In children, it may cause poor growth and learning difficulties.[5]
The disease is spread by contact with fresh water contaminated with the parasites.[5] These parasites are released from infected freshwater snails.[5] The disease is especially common among children in developing countries, as they are more likely to play in contaminated water.[5] Schistosomiasis is also common among women, who can have greater exposure through daily chores that involve water, such as washing clothes and fetching water.[10] Other high-risk groups include farmers, fishermen, and people using unclean water during daily living.[5] It belongs to the group of helminth infections.[11] Diagnosis is by finding eggs of the parasite in a person's urine or stool.[5] It can also be confirmed by finding antibodies against the disease in the blood.[5]
Methods of preventing the disease include improving access to clean water and reducing the number of snails.[5] In areas where the disease is common, the medication praziquantel may be given once a year to the entire group.[5] This is done to decrease the number of people infected, and consequently, the spread of the disease.[5] Praziquantel is also the treatment recommended by the World Health Organization (WHO) for those who are known to be infected.[5]
Schistosomiasis affected about 236.6 million people worldwide in 2019.[12] An estimated 4,400 to 200,000 people die from it each year.[7][8] The disease is most commonly found in Africa, Asia, and South America.[5] Around 700 million people, in more than 70 countries, live in areas where the disease is common.[7][13] In tropical countries, schistosomiasis is second only to malaria among parasitic diseases with the greatest economic impact.[14] Schistosomiasis is listed as a neglected tropical disease.[15]
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