PossibleStrongyloides stercoralisinfection diagnosed by videocapsule endoscopy in an immunocompetent patient with devastating diarrhea.
Strongyloides stercoralisis an endemic parasitic infection of tropical areas, but it is rare in Europe. Most infected immunocompetent patients are asymptomatic, but may present with abdominal pain and diarrhea even several years after acquiring the infection. However, in immunocompromized patients, hyperinfection syndrome has a high mortality rate. Risk factors for the hyperinfection syndrome are corticosteroids and infection with human T lymphotropic virus type 1. Diagnosis of strongyloidiasis is usually made by identifying the larvae in the stool or in duodenal biopsies. There are only four published cases of strongyloidiasis in Greek patients, three of them were immunocompromized. In our patient videocapsule endoscopy identified rhabditiform larvae suggestive of strongyloidiasis. This case report illustrates the difficulty in establishing a diagnosis of the disease in immunocompetent patients.
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Dimitrios
D
Xouris
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Irene
I
Vafiadis-Zoumbulis
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Kostis
K
Papaxoinis
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Giorgos
G
Bamias
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
George
G
Karamanolis
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Janis
J
Vlachogiannakos
Gastroenterology Division, 1st Department of Medicine-Propaedeutic, National & Kapodistrian University of Athens, School of Medicine, Laiko General Hospital, Athens, Greece.
Spiros D
SD
Ladas
Strongyloides stercoralis; diarrhea; helminthic infections; human T lymphotropic virus type 1; small bowel videocapsule endoscopy; strongyloidiasis