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Hookworm Infestation Causes Iron Deficiency Anemia

Article · October 2017

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Cahyo Bagaskoro Yudha Nurdian

Universitas Jember Universitas Jember
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 Hookworm Infestation Causes Iron Deficiency Anemia

1
Cahyo Bagaskoro and 2Yudha Nurdian

1
Student, Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia
2
Faculty of Medicine, University of Jember, Indonesia
Corresponding author: Cahyo Bagaskoro, cahyob@yahoo.com;
152010101048@students.unej.ac.id

Abstract
Background
Hookworm is one kind of roundworm parasites that occasionally infest human and called as
soil-transmitted helminth (STH) because it penetrates through human skin from contaminated
soil. For the epidemiology of hookworm, its prevalence is on tropical and subtropical
countries. When hookworm infests human, it usually migrate to intestinal mucosa on
human’s GI tract. There is no symptoms when hookworm infests human but it may cause
some serious problem like iron deficiency anemia, especially on pregnant women that usually
have decreased immunity. Iron deficiency anemia can be happened because when hookworm
attach in intestinal mucosa, blood loss is caused predominantly by parasite release of
coagulases, causing ongoing blood loss in the stool, rather than actual blood consumption by
the parasite. For example, Ancylostoma duodenale is estimated to cause up to 0.25 mL of
blood loss per worm per day. A hookworm burden of 40–160 worms (depending on the iron
status of the host) is associated with iron deficiency anemia. Women of childbearing age,
pregnant women, and young children are at greatest risk for hookworm-associated iron
deficiency anemia due to low iron stores resulting from diets insufficient to meet demands.
Those losing blood induce the host to specific condition and causing iron deficiency anemia.
The impact of anthelmintic treatment is greatest when albendazole is co-administered with
praziquantel.

Conclusion
This work is describing how hookworm can cause iron deficiency anemia.

References
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Shaw, J. G., and Friedman, J. F. 2011. Iron Deficiency Anemia: Focus on Infectious Diseases in
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Smith, J. L., and Brooker, S. 2010. Impact of Hookworm Infection and Deworming on Anaemia in
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10.1111/j.1365-3156.2010.02542.x

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