Abstract:

This article reports the diagnosis and treatment process of severe whipworm infection in a patient with intellectual disability to provide a reference for the clinical diagnosis and treatment of soil-transmitted helminth infections in special population groups. The patient was admitted due to intermittent diarrhea and bloody stools for over eight months. Initial laboratory tests upon admission showed mild anemia, normal eosinophil levels, and mucoid bloody stools with negative results for worm eggs (later reviewed as positive). Colonoscopy revealed a large number of whipworms parasitizing the colonic wall. The patient was treated with mebendazole 200 mg twice daily for three days, which led to no significant improvement. However, the symptoms were significantly improved following medication with mebendazole 400 mg twice daily for five days. Follow-up stool examination showed no worm eggs, and colonoscopy revealed no parasites. Four months later, during follow-up, the patient presented with positive whipworm eggs. After successful deworming with another course of mebendazole as well as provision of personal hygiene care for the patient and the living environment being changed, no re-infection occurred.

Key words: Trichuriasis, Patients with intellectual disability, Recurrence, Treatment