Hydatid Disease

Description

Hydatid cyst or echinococcosis is a zoonotic disease (Infectious disease caused by transmission of microorganism from infected animals) caused by parasites of the genus echinococcus (Echinococcus granulosus and Echinococcus multilocularis). The infection is spread through eggs which are transmitted from dogs, foxes, wolves, and other canines. It has two types:

Cystic echinococcosis
Alveolar echinococcosis.

Causes

The only causes are:

Eating undercooked meat of sheep, cow, and goat that has grazed on polluted grass (with dog feces) since dogs carry this parasite commonly.
Hand-to-mouth route after patting or touching a dog and then eating with unwashed hands.

There is no human to human transmission of disease.

Risk factors

The risk is high if:

You have a pet dog that is infected.
If you have a habit of eating out and eating from unhygienic places.
Eating without proper hand washing.

Symptoms

The presence of cysts in various organs present with different symptoms.

Liver cysts cause stomachache, enlarged tummy, vomiting, motions, jaundice, loss of appetite, weight loss, in extreme situation bloody vomiting.
Lung (and rarely heart) invasion causes a cough, chest-heaviness, chest pain and blood in spit if cysts burst.

In cases of complication, the cysts can cause organs to fail or bursting of cyst can lead to infections of other body organs.

Diagnosis

Diagnosing hydatid cyst requires:

Blood, urine, stool tests when a burst cyst is suspected.
X-rays, ultrasounds, CT scans and MRI for getting a visual of cysts present in organs.
Taking a specimen of cyst fluid and doing a microscopic test.

Management

Management usually depends upon multiple factors like site and size of the cyst, and severity of the disease. The management includes:

Surgical management: It is the treatment of choice for cysts that can be easily removed.
Pharmacological management: Mebendazole, Albendazole, and Praziquantel are used for the treatment of inoperable lung cysts.
PAIR (Puncture, aspiration, injection, and re-aspiration): This method is used for multiple cysts, daughter cysts, or relapse after surgery.

When to consult a doctor?

Extremely painful condition with frequent vomiting and blood in stool is an alarm signal of rushing to a doctor who will perform tests and give the needed medical care.