Hydatid Disease

Hydatid Disease – General Information

Hydatid Disease, also known as Echinococcosis, Hydatid Cyst, Unilocular Hydatid disease and Cystic Echinococcosis, is life threatening parasitic disease which develops in animals and in humans. This disease appears from the infection with the tapeworm larvae (tapeworms are the worms which live in the digestive tract of the humans and animals, such as E.granulosus, E. multilocularis and E. vogeli). The course of the infection with this disorder is complex. These worms have a life cycle which needs a definitive host and also an intermediate host. The intermediate hosts are in most of the cases herbivores such as sheep, rabbits, cattle and the definitive hosts are usually carnivores such as cats, dogs, and humans.The cycle of this medical condition begins with the infection of the intestinal tract of the definitive host by an adult tapeworm. The adult tapeworm produces eggs which are usually expelled in the host’s feces. In most of the cases the intermediate hosts get infected by the ingestion of the parasite’s eggs, which once inside they hatch and release tiny embryos which can be found in the bloodstream, liver, lungs and kidneys. In the bloodstream and in the organs these embryos develop into hydatid cysts, and in these cysts develop multiple tapeworm larvae. When the intermediate host is changes with the definitive host, the larvae are eaten and they develop into the adult tapeworm. In the definitive host the life cycle is restarted. Hydatid Disease affects people all over the world, especially those who work with animals. Humans can get infected by eating food or drinking water which is contaminated.

Hydatid Disease – Symptoms

It is well known the fact that any medical disorder (including Hydatid Disease) can trigger a variety of symptoms. Therefore, some of this medical condition's most uncommon symptoms have not been listed (mentioned) here. This is why we strongly recommend you to contact your personal health care provider whenever you develop any unusual, bothersome or unpleasant symptoms. Your personal physician will be able to tell you if you are suffering from Hydatid Disease or from any other medical disorder. Here is a list of the most common symptoms that a person who suffers from Hydatid Disease, may experience. This medical condition can not produce symptoms for ten to twenty years because the cysts that appear grow very slow. An infected person can experience pain in the stomach, weight loss and weakness because of these cysts. Other symptoms may include itching, bloody stools, coughing, chest pain and fever. This medical condition causes the appearance of large cysts. The symptoms appear when these cysts get bigger and begin to erode and put pressure on the blood vessel and the organs in which they are localized. The large cysts can lead to shock if they rupture. The persons who develop this disease in the lungs or liver are usually asymptomatic, but they may have serious complications in the cases in which a rupture of the cysts occurs. The cyst rupture also leads to systemic anaphylaxis. The patients with this disease are at a risk of developing intra-pleural or intra-peritoneal dissemination which in most of the cases lead to lung abscess or hepatic abscess.

Hydatid Disease – Treatment

The diagnosis of the Hydatid Disease is based on the findings of the ultrasonography and other imaging techniques. In the seronegative patients who have hepatic images which are compatible with Hydatid Disease, the doctors will need to perform a biopsy in order to be sure of the diagnostic. During the biopsies the doctors must take precautions in order to control the possible allergic reactions which the patients may develop. The doctor can suspect Hydatid Disease in the patients who have an abdominal mass and do not have an exact diagnostic. During the imaging tests in the patients who are suffering from Hydatid Disease there will appear in the affected area a fluid-fill mass with a well defined wall and possible internal septations. Serologic tests may be used, but although they are more specific than the imaging ones, they are less sensitive. In the patients who have lung cysts usually the serologic tests have false-negative results (this happens in more than 50% of the cases). Another test which can be done in order to establish the correct diagnostic is the enzyme-linked immunoelectrotransfer blot (also known as EITB), but unfortunately this test is not available in all the hospitals.

Only the serologic tests can not be used alone in order to put a definitive diagnostic of this disease. A fine-needle aspiration is one of the most reliable ways of diagnosing the cysts in the patients in which the serologic tests are negative. Before prescribing or recommending a treatment, the doctor will take into consideration the size, location and the symptomatic complications of the patient’s cysts. The treatment which is recommended by the doctors or health care providers in almost all of the cases is surgery. But even if the main cyst is removed this is not effective one hundred percent because “daughter” cysts may not be yet visible and they can remain in the patient’s body. In the patients who can not be operated and are suffering from this disorder doctors usually recommend chemotherapy (drugs such as Albendazole or Mebendazole) because it is effective against diseases which are produced by the tapeworms. Chemotherapy is also recommended as a pre-surgical and post-surgical treatment (it is recommended as a post-surgical treatment in order to avoid the recurrence of this disease).

Another therapy for the patients who are suffering from Hydatid Disease which is used in some hospitals is ultrasonographic or computed tomographic (also abbreviated CT) guided fine-needle aspiration of the cysts which in all of the cases is followed by an infusion of a killing agent. This therapy is known as PAIR therapy (meaning puncture, aspiration, injection and reaspiration of the cysts), but the bad part of this treatment is that the patients may develop dissemination of the infection or even anaphylactic reactions. As we said before the patients usually get infected after eating vegetables and drinking water which is contaminated, this is why it is important for the patients to wash their hands and the fruits and vegetables which they eat carefully in order to prevent the appearance and development of this medical condition.