B65.0: Schistosomiasis due to Schistosoma haematobium [urinary schistosomiasis]

The worms live in fresh water, particularly in warm regions of Africa and Asia. Someone who goes into water like that can have the worm larvae get into their body via their skin. The skin may then turn red and itchy in those places for a short time.

A few weeks after being infected, the person can get a high temperature, diarrhea or a cough, for example. An itchy rash on the skin is also typical. You may also have headaches and limb pain. The liver and some lymph nodes may become enlarged.

The worm larvae develop into worms in the body. If the worms lay eggs, the surrounding tissue becomes inflamed. The symptoms depend on which areas of the body the illness has affected. The symptoms caused by the eggs usually appear several months after becoming infected, and they may persist for a long time.

You have become infected by worms that particularly develop in the blood vessels of the bladder. When the bladder is inflamed, passing water can be painful. Urine may also contain blood and pus. The bilharzia can favor cancer of the bladder. The tissue in the body is made up of cells. With cancer, the cells multiply uncontrollably, which leads to a malignant neoplasm (abnormal growth of tissue) developing. The cancer cells can destroy the healthy tissue and spread throughout the body.