Trichuris trichiura infection in children: Two case reports and literature review.

OBJECTIVE

To summarize the clinical manifestations, diagnosis and treatment of Trichuris trichiura infection in children to increase the awareness of this disease among clinical physicians.

METHODS

The clinical data of 2 children infected with T trichiura were retrospectively analyzed, and the literature on T trichiura infection in Chinese children was reviewed.

RESULTS

Two patients were admitted to the hospital because of "recurrent blood in the stool for more than 9 months," "a minimum hemoglobin level of 46 g/L" and "anal warts for more than 1 year." The diagnosis was confirmed in both patients by colonoscopic detection of parasites, and the outcome was favorable after treatment with albendazole. A literature review revealed that the number of whipworm infections reported in Chinese children significantly decreased after 2008; abdominal pain and blood in the stool are the most common gastrointestinal symptoms of whipworm infection in children; and most children experience anemia, developmental delay and malnutrition. During auxiliary examinations, only 0.79% of the children had increased eosinophils in their peripheral blood, and only 3.97% had eggs in their stool. A total of 96.03% of the children were diagnosed by the colonoscopic discovery of parasites.

CONCLUSION

Despite a significant decrease in incidence in recent years, pediatric whipworm infection cannot be ignored. The clinical manifestations of whipworm infection in children are nonspecific, but few children have eggs in their stool. The detection of parasites with colonoscopy is currently the main diagnostic criterion for whipworm infection, but the indications for microscopic examination should be strictly controlled.