Vitamin B12 deficiency anemia, once known as tapeworm anemia or bothriocephalus anemia because it is exacerbated by the worm uptake of vitamin B12, was common in Finland22 but is now rarely seen because of improved diet, prenatal care, and treatment.
How do you know if you have Diphyllobothrium Latum?
How is infection with Diphyllobothrium diagnosed? Diagnosis is made by identification of eggs or segments of the tapeworm in a stool sample with a microscope. Eggs are usually numerous, but more than one stool sample may be needed to find them.
How does D Latum cause anemia?
Prolonged D. latum infection usually causes vitamin B12 deficiency and megaloblastic anemia by parasite-mediated dissociation of the vitamin B12-intrinsic factor complex in the gut lumen making B12 unavailable to the host [9].
Can a tapeworm make you anemic?
The tapeworm absorbs the nutrition from food that the infected person eats. This may lead to vitamin B12 deficiency and anemia.
How common is Diphyllobothrium Latum?
[2] Epidemiologic studies have concluded that in the 1970s, this infection was estimated to have affected 9 million individuals globally with newer data estimating 20 million people currently infected worldwide.
What is the meaning of Latum?
Medical Definition of Diphyllobothrium : a large genus of tapeworms that is the type genus of the family Diphyllobothriidae and that comprises a number of parasites of fish-eating birds and mammals including the fish tapeworm (D. latum) of humans — compare bothriocephalus.
What does a tapeworm feel like in your stomach?
If you have a tapeworm infection, you may not have any symptoms. But some people have nausea, stomach pain, weakness, or diarrhea. You might notice a change in appetite (eating more or less than usual). And since the tapeworm keeps your body from absorbing nutrients from food, you may lose weight.
