Think Outside the Box: A Rare Presentation of Schistosomiasis in the United States

Humayun Anjum; Farah Yasmin; Syed Hasan Ali; Shaleen Sunesara; Aiza M Khawaja; Annie Haji Datoo; Mohammed Ali; Salim Surani

doi:10.7759/cureus.27970

Think Outside the Box: A Rare Presentation of Schistosomiasis in the United States

Cureus. 2022 Aug 13;14(8):e27970. doi: 10.7759/cureus.27970. eCollection 2022 Aug.

Authors

Humayun Anjum¹, Farah Yasmin², Syed Hasan Ali², Shaleen Sunesara³, Aiza M Khawaja⁴, Annie Haji Datoo⁵, Mohammed Ali⁶, Salim Surani^{7

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Affiliations

¹ Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Baylor Scott & White Health, Dallas, USA.
² Internal Medicine, Dow University of Health Sciences, Karachi, PAK.
³ Population and Public Health, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, USA.
⁴ High School, Tompkins High School, Houston, USA.
⁵ Internal Medicine, St. Joseph's Medical Center, Stockton, USA.
⁶ Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Corpus Christi Medical Center, Corpus Christi, USA.
⁷ Anesthesiology, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, USA.
⁸ Medicine, Texas A&M University, College Station, USA.
⁹ Medicine, University of North Texas, Dallas, USA.
¹⁰ Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Associates, Corpus Christi, USA.
¹¹ Clinical Medicine, University of Houston, Houston, USA.

Abstract

Millions of people across the world are infected with schistosomiasis. But, the vast majority of them are asymptomatic. Milder symptoms can include headache, lethargy, and fever. In serious cases, ascites, hepatosplenomegaly, and death can occur. Schistosomiasis is a highly prevalent parasitic infection worldwide, mainly in tropical areas of Africa, Asia, and Latin America. We present a case of a 69-year-old female with notable travel history to the Philippines, who reported to the emergency department with a symptomatic presentation of chronic schistosomiasis with the involvement of biliary and pancreatic ducts.

Keywords: abdominal pain; diarrhea; eosinophilia; flatworms; pancreatitis; schistosomiasis; tropical illness.

Publication types

Case Reports