Common Infection Often Misdiagnosed In Americans!

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The Deadly Dangers Of The Intestinal Parasite, Strongyloides.

Study published: Clinical and Molecular Allergy2006, 4:8

By: Dr. Walter K. Crooks

October 13, 2012

Strongyloides are tiny parasitic worms that like to dine on humans.  

People with Strongyloidiasis have the worms until they die, unless they
 receive effective treatment. The worm may persist for 40 years or more in the small intestine, and it can also be spread as a sexually transmitted disease.

Stronglyoidiasis is fairly common in America, however it is not often diagnosed because, if chronic, the symptoms are mostly mild or mistaken for some other disease process.  In a great many instances, people found infested with strongyloides have
 usually been infested for years, even decades before being diagnosed and treated.

An infection of strongyloides can be difficult to eradicate completely mainly because of the specialized ability of these worms to autoinfect their host.

Strongyloides are unique and dangerous because of the following specialized characteristic features they employ:

 

1.    Autoinfection: This is an important characteristic feature of this worms life cycle. Upon penetrating the intestinal wall or skin around the anus, the larvae enter the bloodstream and reach the pulmonary circulation.

They then penetrate into the lung tissue’s membrane so that they may do one of two things:

a)   Become airborne to infect others.

b)   Travel up the bronchial tree, causing irritation, which in turn causes the infected person to cough thus allowing for the larva to be swallowed into the gastrointestinal tract to begin the infection process all over again.

2.    Hyper-infection: The hyper-infection syndrome happens when there is an enormous multiplication and migration of infective larvae. This especially happens to a person that is in an immunosuppressed state, such as patients that are on long-term corticosteroids.

Symptoms include mainly asthma-like complaints such as cough and wheezing, along with possible pneumonia and pulmonary hemorrhage.

Rare conditions like eosinophilic pleural effusions and eosinophilic granulomatous enterocolitis have also been reported in strongyloidiasis.

One factor that has been attributed to these sudden parasite population explosions is the chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs like, systemic corticosteroids (cortisol, hydrocortisone), organ transplants and other infections such as kala-azar.

3.    Disseminated Infection: In patients that are taking immunosuppressant drugs such as exogenous cortisol (hydrocortisone), Fatal Disseminated Infections are known to occur.

In patients that are malnourished or have been victims of chronic infections, there is an 87% chance of death with this infection.

The high mortality rate associated with hyper-infection syndrome and disseminated diseases are frequently due to a secondary bacterial infection.

Corticosteroids and Strongyloidiasis

Multiple case reports indicate a potentialincrease in the frequency of fatal hyper-infection or disseminated infection with corticosteroid therapy in patients with asymptomatic or mild strongyloidiasis.

Corticosteroids have been shown to affect a patients immunity by increasing the apoptosis (programed cell death) of immune system Th2 cells, reducing the eosinophil count and inhibiting the mast cell response which leads to hyperinfection or disseminated infection.

It is also believed that corticosteroid therapy increases ecdysteroid like substances (these are naturally occurring sterols with non-hormonal anabolic effects) in the body, mainly in the intestinal wall.

Unfortunately, when these steroids are in the presence of the stronglyoides worm they produce substances that act as a molting (reproduction) signal to the larvae, which leads to hyperinfection and disseminated infections.

Research conducted by Siddiqui et al., has found that there are corticosteroid receptors on Strongyloides. These receptors could also play a role in hyperinfection syndrome along with the systemic disseminated infection associated with corticosteroids.

Conclusion

Strongyloidiasis is a nematode infection with a tendency to become chronic with fatal complications of hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated infection along with a host of other potential complications like gram-negative bacteremia and meningitis.

Due to the fact that most cases of hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated strongyloidiasis happen in immuno-compromised individuals, especially those who are taking systemic corticosteroids, like hydrocortisone, physicians should be aware of the bizarre manifestations of the disease that can mimic other diseases leading to misdiagnosis and medical errors.

If you or someone you know are infected with the Strongyloides nematode and are taking corticosteroides (hydrocortisone, ect. ), it is imperative that you speak to your physician at once and ask that they review the facts associated with Strongyloidiasis and hydrocortisone therapy.

In health,

Dr. Walter K. Crooks

http://brainbasedtherapy.blogspot.com/

http://lifechangingcarehouston.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LifeChangingCareHouston

-->

The Deadly Dangers Of The Intestinal Parasite, Strongyloides.

Study published: Clinical and Molecular Allergy2006, 4:8

By: Dr. Walter K. Crooks

October 13, 2012

Strongyloides are tiny parasitic worms that like to dine on humans.  

People with Strongyloidiasis have the worms until they die, unless they
 receive effective treatment. The worm may persist for 40 years or more in the small intestine, and it can also be spread as a sexually transmitted disease.

Stronglyoidiasis is fairly common in America, however it is not often diagnosed because, if chronic, the symptoms are mostly mild or mistaken for some other disease process.  In a great many instances, people found infested with strongyloides have
 usually been infested for years, even decades before being diagnosed and treated.

An infection of strongyloides can be difficult to eradicate completely mainly because of the specialized ability of these worms to autoinfect their host.

Strongyloides are unique and dangerous because of the following specialized characteristic features they employ:

 

1.    Autoinfection: This is an important characteristic feature of this worms life cycle. Upon penetrating the intestinal wall or skin around the anus, the larvae enter the bloodstream and reach the pulmonary circulation.

They then penetrate into the lung tissue’s membrane so that they may do one of two things:

a)   Become airborne to infect others.

b)   Travel up the bronchial tree, causing irritation, which in turn causes the infected person to cough thus allowing for the larva to be swallowed into the gastrointestinal tract to begin the infection process all over again.

2.    Hyper-infection: The hyper-infection syndrome happens when there is an enormous multiplication and migration of infective larvae. This especially happens to a person that is in an immunosuppressed state, such as patients that are on long-term corticosteroids.

Symptoms include mainly asthma-like complaints such as cough and wheezing, along with possible pneumonia and pulmonary hemorrhage.

Rare conditions like eosinophilic pleural effusions and eosinophilic granulomatous enterocolitis have also been reported in strongyloidiasis.

One factor that has been attributed to these sudden parasite population explosions is the chronic use of immunosuppressive drugs like, systemic corticosteroids (cortisol, hydrocortisone), organ transplants and other infections such as kala-azar.

3.    Disseminated Infection: In patients that are taking immunosuppressant drugs such as exogenous cortisol (hydrocortisone), Fatal Disseminated Infections are known to occur.

In patients that are malnourished or have been victims of chronic infections, there is an 87% chance of death with this infection.

The high mortality rate associated with hyper-infection syndrome and disseminated diseases are frequently due to a secondary bacterial infection.

Corticosteroids and Strongyloidiasis

Multiple case reports indicate a potentialincrease in the frequency of fatal hyper-infection or disseminated infection with corticosteroid therapy in patients with asymptomatic or mild strongyloidiasis.

Corticosteroids have been shown to affect a patients immunity by increasing the apoptosis (programed cell death) of immune system Th2 cells, reducing the eosinophil count and inhibiting the mast cell response which leads to hyperinfection or disseminated infection.

It is also believed that corticosteroid therapy increases ecdysteroid like substances (these are naturally occurring sterols with non-hormonal anabolic effects) in the body, mainly in the intestinal wall.

Unfortunately, when these steroids are in the presence of the stronglyoides worm they produce substances that act as a molting (reproduction) signal to the larvae, which leads to hyperinfection and disseminated infections.

Research conducted by Siddiqui et al., has found that there are corticosteroid receptors on Strongyloides. These receptors could also play a role in hyperinfection syndrome along with the systemic disseminated infection associated with corticosteroids.

Conclusion

Strongyloidiasis is a nematode infection with a tendency to become chronic with fatal complications of hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated infection along with a host of other potential complications like gram-negative bacteremia and meningitis.

Due to the fact that most cases of hyperinfection syndrome and disseminated strongyloidiasis happen in immuno-compromised individuals, especially those who are taking systemic corticosteroids, like hydrocortisone, physicians should be aware of the bizarre manifestations of the disease that can mimic other diseases leading to misdiagnosis and medical errors.

If you or someone you know are infected with the Strongyloides nematode and are taking corticosteroides (hydrocortisone, ect. ), it is imperative that you speak to your physician at once and ask that they review the facts associated with Strongyloidiasis and hydrocortisone therapy.

In health,

Dr. Walter K. Crooks

http://brainbasedtherapy.blogspot.com/

http://lifechangingcarehouston.com/

https://www.facebook.com/LifeChangingCareHouston

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West Nile outbreak light in Ky. but 'one of the largest' in nation

U.S. health officials reported Wednesday three times the usual number of West Nile cases for this time of year and one expert told the Associated Press it was “one of the largest” outbreaks since the virus appeared in this country in 1999.

So far, 1,118 illnesses have been reported, about half of them in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky has reported few cases.

In an average year, fewer than 300 cases are reported by mid-August. There have also been 41 deaths this year. Most infections are usually reported in August and September, so it’s too early to say how bad this year will end up, CDC officials said. AP reports that West Nile virus peaked in 2002 and 2003, when severe illnesses reached nearly 3,000 and deaths surpassed 260.

 The best way to prevent West Nile disease, say experts, is to avoid mosquito bites. Insect repellents, screens on doors and windows and wearing long sleeves and pants are some of the recommended strategies. Also, empty standing water from buckets, kiddie pools and other places to discourage breeding. (Read more)

U.S. health officials reported Wednesday three times the usual number of West Nile cases for this time of year and one expert told the Associated Press it was “one of the largest” outbreaks since the virus appeared in this country in 1999.

So far, 1,118 illnesses have been reported, about half of them in Texas, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Kentucky has reported few cases.

In an average year, fewer than 300 cases are reported by mid-August. There have also been 41 deaths this year. Most infections are usually reported in August and September, so it’s too early to say how bad this year will end up, CDC officials said. AP reports that West Nile virus peaked in 2002 and 2003, when severe illnesses reached nearly 3,000 and deaths surpassed 260.

 The best way to prevent West Nile disease, say experts, is to avoid mosquito bites. Insect repellents, screens on doors and windows and wearing long sleeves and pants are some of the recommended strategies. Also, empty standing water from buckets, kiddie pools and other places to discourage breeding. (Read more)

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More hospital-acquired infections are reported in patients cared for nurses who are overworked, study finds

Getty Images stock photo.

Overworked nurses dealing with heavy patient loads are associated with increases in hospital-acquired infections, say researchers with the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

"For each 10 percent jump in the proportion of nurses who logged high levels of burnout, there was roughly one additional catheter-associated urinary tract infection per 1,000 patients and almost two extra surgical site infections per 1,000," reports JoNel Aleccia for NBC News.

Researchers conducted a survey with 7,000 registered nurses at 161 Pennsylvania hospitals and matched that data with hospital infection rates and characteristics of hospitals nationwide. The study found more than a third of nurses said they feel high levels of burnout. They cared for an average of 5.7 patients each, and "when even one patient was added to that load, the result was an additional 1,351 infections within the hospital population studied," Aleccia reports.

The study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, also found cutting down on burnout not only reduces infections but saves money. Cutting it by 30 percent decreased urinary tract infections by 4,000 and surgical site infections by more than 2,200, resulting in a savings of between $28 million and $69 million each year, researchers found.

When it comes to nurse-to-patient ratios, no one seems to be tracking the averages, Aleccia reports. They can range from one nurse for every one or two patients in intensive care units or a one-to-five ratio, as mandated in surgical units in California. (Read more)

Getty Images stock photo.

Overworked nurses dealing with heavy patient loads are associated with increases in hospital-acquired infections, say researchers with the Center for Health Outcomes and Policy Research at the University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing.

"For each 10 percent jump in the proportion of nurses who logged high levels of burnout, there was roughly one additional catheter-associated urinary tract infection per 1,000 patients and almost two extra surgical site infections per 1,000," reports JoNel Aleccia for NBC News.

Researchers conducted a survey with 7,000 registered nurses at 161 Pennsylvania hospitals and matched that data with hospital infection rates and characteristics of hospitals nationwide. The study found more than a third of nurses said they feel high levels of burnout. They cared for an average of 5.7 patients each, and "when even one patient was added to that load, the result was an additional 1,351 infections within the hospital population studied," Aleccia reports.

The study, published in the American Journal of Infection Control, also found cutting down on burnout not only reduces infections but saves money. Cutting it by 30 percent decreased urinary tract infections by 4,000 and surgical site infections by more than 2,200, resulting in a savings of between $28 million and $69 million each year, researchers found.

When it comes to nurse-to-patient ratios, no one seems to be tracking the averages, Aleccia reports. They can range from one nurse for every one or two patients in intensive care units or a one-to-five ratio, as mandated in surgical units in California. (Read more)

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Lyme disease in Ky. probably more common than reported

Nearly anyone who has spent considerable time in the woods this summer has later discovered they carried a visitor back with them — one the size of a freckle who latches on for dear life. Ticks are not uncommon in Kentucky, though Lyme disease, which is spread through the bite of a black-legged deer tick, is not commonly seen in the state.

But those numbers are likely under-reported, Keiara Carr reports for The Courier-Journal, in part because "Current medical guidelines say the disease is so rare in Kentucky that doctors should look for alternative causes for symptoms that might suggest Lyme disease."

Only five cases were reported in Kentucky in each of the past two years and there was just one case in 2009. But it's likely cases went under-reported because doctors don't give the blood test that diagnoses Lyme. They just don't feel it's necessary given the rarity of the disease in the area, Carr reports.

But Mike Gatton of Louisville knows all too well that it's possible. He got bitten by a tick while mowing his lawn two years ago. He developed a rash on his leg but when he went to the doctor he was tested for a variety of diseases, including West Nile, multiple sclerosis and Lou Gehrig disease, but not Lyme. "I was feeling more and more fatigued. I was having severe headaches. I was really concerned," he said.

When he got another tick bite a year ago and had the same reaction he had to the first bite, he put the tick in a vial and brought it to his doctor, who still dismissed the possibility of Lyme. He is now being treated with antibiotics he takes intravenously.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache and fatigue. Sometimes, a rash that looks like a bull's eye around the tick bite can develop. Usually, people get better with large doses of antibiotics. If left untreated, "the infection can be painful and debilitating, causing arthritis or spreading to the heart and nervous system," Carr reports.

Guidelines by the Infectious Disease Society of America "to help doctors decide if a patient is eligible for treatment say the patient should have received the tick bite in an 'endemic area," Carr reports, which makes sense according to Paul Mead, a consulting physician for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "For example, a physician in Africa evaluating a child for fever should have malaria at the top of his list; a physician in Kentucky should not," he said. (Read more)

Nearly anyone who has spent considerable time in the woods this summer has later discovered they carried a visitor back with them — one the size of a freckle who latches on for dear life. Ticks are not uncommon in Kentucky, though Lyme disease, which is spread through the bite of a black-legged deer tick, is not commonly seen in the state.

But those numbers are likely under-reported, Keiara Carr reports for The Courier-Journal, in part because "Current medical guidelines say the disease is so rare in Kentucky that doctors should look for alternative causes for symptoms that might suggest Lyme disease."

Only five cases were reported in Kentucky in each of the past two years and there was just one case in 2009. But it's likely cases went under-reported because doctors don't give the blood test that diagnoses Lyme. They just don't feel it's necessary given the rarity of the disease in the area, Carr reports.

But Mike Gatton of Louisville knows all too well that it's possible. He got bitten by a tick while mowing his lawn two years ago. He developed a rash on his leg but when he went to the doctor he was tested for a variety of diseases, including West Nile, multiple sclerosis and Lou Gehrig disease, but not Lyme. "I was feeling more and more fatigued. I was having severe headaches. I was really concerned," he said.

When he got another tick bite a year ago and had the same reaction he had to the first bite, he put the tick in a vial and brought it to his doctor, who still dismissed the possibility of Lyme. He is now being treated with antibiotics he takes intravenously.

Symptoms of Lyme disease include fever, headache and fatigue. Sometimes, a rash that looks like a bull's eye around the tick bite can develop. Usually, people get better with large doses of antibiotics. If left untreated, "the infection can be painful and debilitating, causing arthritis or spreading to the heart and nervous system," Carr reports.

Guidelines by the Infectious Disease Society of America "to help doctors decide if a patient is eligible for treatment say the patient should have received the tick bite in an 'endemic area," Carr reports, which makes sense according to Paul Mead, a consulting physician for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. "For example, a physician in Africa evaluating a child for fever should have malaria at the top of his list; a physician in Kentucky should not," he said. (Read more)

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Swine flu killed nearly 300,000 worldwide, study finds

The swine flu of 2009, often referred to as H1NI, killed an estimated 284,500 people, making it 15 times more deadly than it was thought at the time of the pandemic, a new study has found. The report, published Tuesday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, said the numbers might be eventually be  as high as 579,000 people. The original count, tabulated by the World Health Organization, was a mere 18,500.

Those nearly 300,000 deaths were confirmed by lab testing, which the WHO warned vastly underestimated the situation "because the deaths of people without access to the health system go uncounted, and because the virus is not always detectable after a victim dies," reports Sharon Begley for Reuters. In Kentucky, the Department for Public Health reported there were 41 confirmed H1N1-related deaths, said spokeswoman Beth Fisher.

More than 50 percent of swine flu deaths were in Africa and southeast Asia, though they only account for 38 percent of the world's population. Because vital statistics data are either non-existent or incomplete in poorer countries, researchers had to rely on estimates and assumptions but did start with hard data, including the number of health workers who went door-to-door to ask about flu-like symptoms in rural areas and obtained nasal and throat swab samples. They used these numbers to get an estimate on the proportion of a country's population infected with H1N1. Results show the flu killed two to three times more people in Africa than elsewhere. It infected children most, adults moderately and the elderly hardly at all. (Read more)

The swine flu of 2009, often referred to as H1NI, killed an estimated 284,500 people, making it 15 times more deadly than it was thought at the time of the pandemic, a new study has found. The report, published Tuesday in the journal Lancet Infectious Diseases, said the numbers might be eventually be  as high as 579,000 people. The original count, tabulated by the World Health Organization, was a mere 18,500.

Those nearly 300,000 deaths were confirmed by lab testing, which the WHO warned vastly underestimated the situation "because the deaths of people without access to the health system go uncounted, and because the virus is not always detectable after a victim dies," reports Sharon Begley for Reuters. In Kentucky, the Department for Public Health reported there were 41 confirmed H1N1-related deaths, said spokeswoman Beth Fisher.

More than 50 percent of swine flu deaths were in Africa and southeast Asia, though they only account for 38 percent of the world's population. Because vital statistics data are either non-existent or incomplete in poorer countries, researchers had to rely on estimates and assumptions but did start with hard data, including the number of health workers who went door-to-door to ask about flu-like symptoms in rural areas and obtained nasal and throat swab samples. They used these numbers to get an estimate on the proportion of a country's population infected with H1N1. Results show the flu killed two to three times more people in Africa than elsewhere. It infected children most, adults moderately and the elderly hardly at all. (Read more)

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