Signs of liver fluke infection after eating fish salad, undercooked fish hotpot-Life Health

People infected with small liver fluke when eating foods from undercooked fish with active small liver fluke larvae, such as: Fish salad, fish hotpot, salted fish, pickled fish, dried fish, smoked fish. ..

Illustration: Trieu Quang

The Ministry of Health has just issued guidelines for diagnosis, treatment and prevention of small liver flukes. Accordingly, fascioliasis is a parasitic disease caused by small liver flukes parasitic in the bile ducts in the liver, causing damage to the bile ducts, gallbladder and other organs with pathologies depending on the degree of infection. infection time.

In Vietnam, there are 2 species of liver fluke, C.sinensis and O.viverrini, distributed in at least 32 provinces and cities. People infected with small liver fluke when eating foods from undercooked fish with active small liver fluke larvae, such as: Fish salad, fish hotpot, salted fish, pickled fish, dried fish, smoked fish. ..

Symptoms of small liver fluke

Depending on the duration of the disease and the intensity of infection as well as influencing factors, the clinical manifestations are typical or atypical.

Most cases of infection have no clinical symptoms or have some symptoms such as:

– Digestive disorders: raw stools, abdominal bloating, indigestion, sluggishness, increased pain when eating a lot of fat.

– Fatigue, loss of appetite, weight loss.

– Pain in the right lower quadrant and liver, appearing when doing heavy work, walking or when health declines. Sometimes there is typical liver pain and is accompanied by jaundice, yellow urine, appearing intermittently, in some cases darkening of the skin.

– The liver may be enlarged below the costal margin, soft, smooth and slowly progressing, at this time it may be painful at the gallbladder point.

– Mild form: In the first stage, most of the people have no typical symptoms, sometimes there are digestive disorders.

– Moderate form: Corresponding to the full-fledged stage, the patient shows the following symptoms:

+ Body as a whole: Fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, weight loss.

+ Abdominal pain: Usually pain in the epigastrium, right lower quadrant or both, pain increases when doing heavy work, walking, may have typical liver pain, abdominal pain may be accompanied by diarrhea.

+ Digestive disorders: Raw stools, bloating, indigestion, sluggishness.

+ Jaundice, yellow urine, appears in waves, in some cases, skin tan. Examination of the liver is enlarged below the costal margin, soft pressure, at this time there may be gallbladder pain.

– Heavy body:

+ In the last stage, the patient eats less, becomes thin and weak, loses weight, reduces labor capacity.

+ Most people with liver fluke disease have cirrhosis of the liver to varying degrees because the fluke stimulates the proliferation of diffuse fibrosis, the bile ducts thicken, are less elastic, and may be blocked. Untreated cases can lead to cirrhosis, ascites, and fatal cholangiocarcinoma-associated disease.

The Ministry of Health recommends not to eat fish salad and foods made from uncooked fish; Do not use human excrement to raise fish, do not defecate into water sources; Periodic deworming for dogs, cats and pigs.