Chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain: pin the pinworm.

Rajamanickam, Anitha; Usmani, Ali; Suri, Sanjeev; Dimov, Vesselin · J Hosp Med · 2009

case_report · Level V

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Abstract

Enterobius vermicularis is the most common helminthic infection in the US. It is usually considered an innocuous parasite that at the most causes perianal itching. We report a case of an 84-year-old female patient from an assisted living facility who presented with symptoms of colitis for 2 months. On detailed history and exam, she was found to have E. vermicularis infection. All her symptoms resolved dramatically within 2 days after a single dose of albendazole. We want to emphasize the importance of including parasitic infections such as E. vermicularis in the differential diagnoses of patients presenting with symptoms of colitis.

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