Imported Hookworm infection in Almeria

Objectives: To study the clinical and epidemiological characteristics of immigrant patients diagnosed with a hookworm infection in the Tropical Medicine Unit of the Hospital de Poniente in El Ejido (Almeria, Spain). Material and methods: A retrospective observational study of all immigrant patients diagnosed with hookworm, by direct visualization of eggs in stool samples, from October 2004 until December 2012. Results: Of the 1872 patients studied, 253 (13.5%) were diagnosed with a hookworm infection. In patients where hookworm was the only helminthiasis diagnosed, 8.3% had iron deficiency anaemia, 65.7% did not have eosinophilia, and of these, 25.9% had no abdominal pain. Conclusions: Hookworm is a frequent parasite infestation in the Sub-Saharan immigrant population. Many patients are asymptomatic; thus the implementation of a study protocol for immigrants from endemic areas could diagnose and treat more patients with this disease. (C) 2013 Elsevier Espana, S.L. All rights reserved.