Title |
Ascariasis and hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state: a surprising ultrasound finding in the emergency department
|
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Published in |
International Journal of Emergency Medicine, March 2017
|
DOI | 10.1186/s12245-017-0138-7 |
Pubmed ID | |
Authors |
Giles N. Cattermole, Jean-Paul Nzabandora |
Abstract |
We report the ultrasound finding of ascariasis in a patient with hyperosmolar hyperglycemic state (HHS). Although ascariasis is common in low-resource settings, there has been no previous report associating ascariasis with HHS. A 26-year-old Rwandan man was admitted to the emergency department in coma, with a glycemia of 600 mg/dl. He was resuscitated with fluids, intubated and ventilated, and treated with insulin and antibiotics. On day 3, an ascaris worm was passed via his nasogastric tube, and abdominal ultrasound revealed a heavy worm load. He was treated with albendazole and eventually made a full recovery. This is the first report of ascariasis as a potential cause of HHS, and we recommend that emergency practitioners consider early abdominal ultrasound in patients with hyperglycemic emergencies in areas with a high prevalence of ascariasis. |
X Demographics
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 1 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Type | Count | As % |
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Science communicators (journalists, bloggers, editors) | 1 | 100% |
Mendeley readers
Geographical breakdown
Country | Count | As % |
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Unknown | 23 | 100% |
Demographic breakdown
Readers by professional status | Count | As % |
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Student > Master | 4 | 17% |
Student > Postgraduate | 3 | 13% |
Student > Doctoral Student | 2 | 9% |
Researcher | 2 | 9% |
Professor | 1 | 4% |
Other | 1 | 4% |
Unknown | 10 | 43% |
Readers by discipline | Count | As % |
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Medicine and Dentistry | 8 | 35% |
Nursing and Health Professions | 2 | 9% |
Pharmacology, Toxicology and Pharmaceutical Science | 1 | 4% |
Computer Science | 1 | 4% |
Neuroscience | 1 | 4% |
Other | 0 | 0% |
Unknown | 10 | 43% |