Koulali H, Zazour A, Khannoussi W, Kharrasse G, Ismaili Z. Colonic schistosomiasis: A case report. World J Gastrointest Endosc 2022; 14(12): 789-794 [PMID: 36567820 DOI: 10.4253/wjge.v14.i12.789]
Corresponding Author of This Article
Hajar Koulali, Doctor, Department of Gastro-enterology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, B.P.: 4806 Oujda Université, Oujda 60049, Morocco. h.koulali@ump.ac.ma
Research Domain of This Article
Gastroenterology & Hepatology
Article-Type of This Article
Case Report
Open-Access Policy of This Article
This article is an open-access article which was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Hajar Koulali, Abdelkrim Zazour, Wafaa Khannoussi, Ghizlane Kharrasse, Zahi Ismaili, Department of Gastro-enterology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, Oujda 60050, Morocco
Author contributions: Koulali H, Zazour A, Khannoussi W, Kharrasse G, and Ismaili Z participated in collecting and analyzing the patient’s data and designing the report.
Informed consent statement: All study participants or their legal guardian provided informed written consent about personal and medical data collection prior to study enrolment.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
CARE Checklist (2016) statement: The authors have read the CARE Checklist (2016), and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the CARE Checklist (2016).
Open-Access: This article is an open-access article that was selected by an in-house editor and fully peer-reviewed by external reviewers. It is distributed in accordance with the Creative Commons Attribution NonCommercial (CC BY-NC 4.0) license, which permits others to distribute, remix, adapt, build upon this work non-commercially, and license their derivative works on different terms, provided the original work is properly cited and the use is non-commercial. See: https://creativecommons.org/Licenses/by-nc/4.0/
Corresponding author: Hajar Koulali, Doctor, Department of Gastro-enterology, Mohammed VI University Hospital, B.P.: 4806 Oujda Université, Oujda 60049, Morocco. h.koulali@ump.ac.ma
Received: September 20, 2022 Peer-review started: September 20, 2022 First decision: October 13, 2022 Revised: October 20, 2022 Accepted: November 19, 2022 Article in press: November 19, 2022 Published online: December 16, 2022 Processing time: 84 Days and 4.5 Hours
Abstract
BACKGROUND
Schistosomiasis is a chronic parasitic infection endemic in many countries. Colonic schistosomiasis is a rare entity with no specific clinical manifestations or endoscopic aspects, which delays the diagnosis. Diagnosis is primarily dependent on histopathological analysis, and treatment with antihelminthics typically resolves the infection.
CASE SUMMARY
We present the case of a 21-year-old male who suffered from chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain. Physical examination found no abnormalities, blood tests were normal, and stool examination was negative. A colonoscopy revealed a nodular terminal ileal mucosa, two cecal polypoid lesions with no particular surface pattern, and millimetric erosions in the rectum. The presence of Schistosoma eggs with thick peripheral capsules and viable embryos inside and numerous eosinophils surrounding the egg capsule were observed on histopathological examination. The patient received praziquantel, and his symptoms were resolved.
CONCLUSION
Colonic schistosomiasis should be considered as a differential diagnosis, especially in endemic countries. Endoscopy and histopathological examination can confirm the diagnosis, and antihelminthics are an effective treatment.
Core Tip: Colonic schistosomiasis is a rare disease, often mistaken for other pathologies, such as inflammatory bowel disease, because the clinical and endoscopic manifestations are non-specific and can be misleading. Histopathological examination is key to diagnosis when the stool examination shows no ova. We present a case of colonic schistosomiasis in a 21-year-old male presenting with chronic diarrhea and abdominal pain. The stool examination was negative and colposcopy showed multiple polyps. Histopathological examination confirmed the diagnosis of colonic schistosomiasis. Antiparasitic treatment was effective.
